Mass Effect: Inner Demons
by Aria4
Summary: Post-ME2:Tensions are running high for Shepard  female  as she embarks on a journey to the Merc underworld of Omega. Some want to kill her, others want to have her, some seek to destroy her. FShepxGarrusxThane; Review of story so far in Ch. 7  :
1. Prologue

*** NOTE: **Hey Guys, usually I don't write fanfic, because I'd rather read them. However this is my first one and I hope it turns out okay. Mass Effect is a fantastic but complex story, and I wanted to continue this magnificent saga through a story like everyone else

However, I am trying my best not to let any romance become distracting from the main plot but the romance itself is somewhat inevitable. Anyways, enjoy!

**Prologue**

She ran, ran as fast as her legs could take her, as hard as her mind could push her. Around her was a grungy brown blur. Her surroundings melted like watercolour the faster she went. It wouldn't be long before her legs would buckle under the weight of her panic and fatigue. With one arm out-turned, she briskly squeezed the trigger on her M-4 Shuriken SMG. Her hand shook when she realized that she used her last clip.

Frantic, she threw the gun down and kept running until she reached a broad bronze wall. She was at the heart of the collector ship and she was all alone. She could hear the droning of the swarm in the distance, with the constant echo of harbinger within it. She faced a locked door.

_ I need to get through!_ She screamed in her mind. She summoned the control panel from standby and attempted to override the security systems. Access denied.

_Shit! _Her gloved fingers fumbled clumsily on the control panel. In sheer sweat and desperation, she placed her fingers on her comm.

"Joker! Come in Joker, I need EDI to help me override this damn door NOW!" she cried. She released the button. Static. The droning could be heard at her ears now. This was it. A bead of sweat streamed down her eyebrow and released itself on her lower eyelashes. She turned around. A massive insect-like head faced her armed with four large menacing yellow orbs.

"This is the end of you Commander Shepard." Harbinger's demonic voice rattled her bones and manifested itself into her brain.

"Your incompetent race and the others will perish now. Your time is over..." The alien began to grasp her body with its enormous appendages, crushing her bones. Shepard opened her mouth to speak, but she remained in stasis. Her body was being pulverized and Harbinger was glaring into her soul, destroying it along with the hope she had for mankind...


	2. Chapter One: Deep Space Dreaming

**Chapter One: Deep Space Dreaming**

Commander Shepard awoke panting and covered in sweat. She shot upright and placed one hand above her breast. She glanced around her room. A still, tranquil, cobalt light emitting from her fishtank bathed the room in a dark peace. Her desk remained untouched but in a mess from the last she had left it before they had left for the suicide mission. Everything in her glass showcase seemed intact- model ships, emblems and awards, all were untouched. There were no collectors, no locked doors, and no Harbinger.

As her breathing slowed back to normal, a single tear dropped from her left eye and dripped onto her ruffled sheets. This wasn't the first time. Ever since her squad had commenced the suicide mission, she had been haunted by her experiences in the collector ship. It had been weeks now since the initial mission. Shepard pulled the covers off and staggered across the room. She paced towards her cabin's washroom and waved her hand over the light switch. Almost immediately, EDI came to life.

"Commander, you are up early. Is it happening again?" EDI asked, concerned. It was strange to have an A.I. sympathize with her, but she had gotten used to it. EDI was treated as an important member of her ship like the rest of her squad.

"Ye-uh," Shepard croaked as she splashed water onto her face. She placed both palms on the cold surface of her metal sink and lowered her head, breathing a deep sigh.

"I would advise you to consult Dr. Chakwas, or even Mordin. If your condition worsens, I suggest you take some medications to help ease your mind with your dreams," advised EDI.

Shepard drew another deep breath. "I'm not gonna start medicating myself, my body has already been through enough. Besides, I don't think any pill I pop will help me with what I have went through."

"Look at your options Shepard," warned EDI, "You will continue to deteriorate if you don't seek help soon. You have sacrificed yourself for the good of the galaxy, now it's time to recuperate. Try and rest easy, commander."

Shepard raised her head and looked at her reflection. Her features were sharp but her grey eyes were weary. She touched her eye bags with her index fingers and traced them over a healing scar on her jawline.

_Some war hero,_ she thought bitterly before exiting the washroom.

Shepard stared blankly at the black coffee she held in her hands. Most of the crew were still asleep. The only sound that echoed through the Normandy's mess lounge was from the monotonous droning of the ship's main battery. Even Miranda's office behind her was completely silent. Suddenly the door to the main battery slid open. Garrus Vakarian, her long term friend and closest ally appeared. He showed no signs of changing into a set of new armor. He was proud of his work on Omega, and continued to wear the battered armour as a sign of persistence and good will. He looked tired too, but his eyes lit up in surprise when he saw his commander.

"Shepard," he began, "You're up early." Garrus strode towards her, and smiled. There was something about his charisma that seemed to give Shepard solace. She felt at home, safe, when he was around her. Making eye contact with him, she forced a smile.

"You're up early."

"Yeah, I am always up early. Ever since I have been a part of the Normandy, old and new, I have always been the first up to do my tasks. Anyways, how are you feeling?" he asked, taking a seat in front of her.

"Alright I guess, but could be better," she replied, taking a sip of her coffee.

"Listen, I know our crew has been through so much together. We've done everything we could, and we did what we had to do. It's not gonna be easy to recover from all this. We've lost a bit of the Normandy's crew during the mission, but we still managed to save the others. Nobody could've a better job than you Shepard," responded Garrus. His soft blue eyes resonated on Shepard, and seemed to cradle her in comfort with his words.

"We've won the battle," replied Shepard, "but we still have to win the war. The reapers are still out there, and they want all organic life dead. Who knows when they will strike again." There was a dark tone in her voice. "I don't mean to be pessimistic, but I am just speaking realistically, we need to be prepared."

Garrus leaned forward slightly. "I understand. I just hope giving the Collector Ship to the Illusive Man was the right thing to do. We can study their technology and use it to our advantage...but I just hope that is what Cerberus plans to do with what they salvaged."

Shepard nodded in return and fixed her eyes on the steel floor. As much as she wanted to share her recurring dreams with Garrus, she could never bring herself to do so.

Garrus stood up and walked around the table towards her. He placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Hey. Don't worry yourself too much. We're going to touchdown on the Citadel soon. After our meeting with Anderson and Udina maybe we could find some time to unwind and relax. You really need it, if not, you deserve it."

Shepard finally managed a grin. "You mean like popping some steam in the heat sink?"

Garrus immediately retreated his hand. "No of course not! Uh...I mean..sure..if..if you want to I guess. I just don't want to add onto your already existent stress from the mission and all..to be honest, I was sure if you were even borderline thinking of it. You seemed too tense after the mission commander."

"Nonsense," chuckled the Shepard, "You and I both clearly know what is good for relieving stress." Shepard realized that was the first time she had smiled in days. Her smile slowly faded when the dim lights of the ship suddenly grew brighter.

"Good morning Normandy, rise and shine it's another glorious day for the saviours of mankind, turiankind, salariankind, and allkind because we're docking the Citadel in one hour!" announced Joker on the intercom in a musical tone.

It wasn't long before people starting pouring into the mess hall to prepare for breakfast.

"I'd better get back to work," Garrus replied quickly before milling through the crowd.

Shepard nodded and strode towards the elevator before heading towards the main floor.


	3. Chapter Two: The Citadel

**Chapter Two: The Citadel**

Commander Shepard stood in the Normandy's airlock, waiting for the doors to open. She adorned herself in what she wore everytime she left the Normandy- her pearly white standard Cerberus issued armour with red stripes printed on the sides. Her suit had been freshly repaired, cleaned and polished for this occasion. On either sides of her, were most of her squad- Garrus, Thane, Tali, Samara, Grunt, Jack and Miranda. Mordin, Jacob, and Legion decided to stay behind with the Normandy.

"So do you think the Citadel will welcome us with celebration?" questioned Tali as she glanced over at Shepard with her glassy purple mask.

"I'm not sure what to expect but the people better be damn grateful that we saved their asses," interrupted Jack with a smirk.

"Right now I don't really care what people think," admitted Shepard. "But Captain Anderson called us here, and we need to report to him anyway."

"Shepard is right," added Miranda, "Our main concern is Anderson. Aside from the intel we forwarded him, we have to discuss our accounts in person. Raving fans or hateful civilians are the least of our worries."

As soon as Miranda had finished her sentence, the Normandy's airlock opened, sucking in a cool breeze and blinding the crew with a bright light. Their eyes strained.

As they made their way towards C-Sec, many passerbys stopped to marvel at the heroes. The turian that operated the security doors hurried to scan each squad member after personally congratulating them. Shepard craned her neck as she waited for her turn. She remembered the countless number of times she'd passed through the citadel only to be questioned because she was listed as deceased.

"Typical C-Sec lip service," muttered Garrus after the turian scanned him. When the secondary doors opened, they were greeted by Captain Bailey.

Cpt. Bailey did not hesitate to shake Shepard's hand. "Great work Shepard! To be honest, I never thought you would make it back, but now that you did, I must say millions of individuals now owe their lives to you. I myself am forever grateful for what you have done for humanity." Cpt. Bailey firmly squeezed Shepard's hand before pulling away. He ran his fingers through his own hair before crossing his arms. "Anderson and Udina are waiting for you at the Presidium. I am sure they are eager to see you face to face."

"Right," responded Shepard as she headed towards Citadel rapid transit. Every being at C-Sec began to applaud. Shepard walked confidently towards the Rapid Transit station. A long silver vehicle awaited them with a turian chauffer standing by the open doors. Around the vehicle, a crowd gathered. The turian quickly relinquished his casual, slumped pose and stood up firm and bowed his head slightly at Shepard.

"Right this way," he said, waving his slender fingers. He caught Shepard's gaze but quickly turned away.

_We're heroes now, all of us...united,_ thought Shepard to herself as she waited for the others to hop inside. There was something about the word "united" that didn't really seem to convey its meaning. Were they really one big galactic family after everyone acknowledged the threat of the Reapers? She thought bitterly about how many times the Council had doubted her about Saren, the Geth, and especially of the Reapers. In fact, she felt like the Council deserved to be blown to smithereens.

"So I guess the human spectre finally proves herself worthy, after trying to save the Citadel by blowing up the council and now by salvaging some potentially dangerous Collector material," shot a bitter and sarcastic voice amongst the crowd. Shepard stopped in her tracks, finally breaking the promise to herself about feeling indifferent towards people's opinions. She turned around and scanned the crowd.

"Ignore them," advised Miranda as she placed a reassuring hand on Shepard's sheen shoulder.

Shepard brushed her hand off and began to face the crowd. The cheering quietened and she found herself standing face to face towards a sea of salarian, human, turian, asari and volus faces.

"You heard me Shepard. You may think you have taken the right step towards all races. You walk into the Citadel, you and your messy conglomerate of alien freelancer rejects with your I don't give a shit about who dies out here as long as I get the job done for Cerberus attitude- Why should we celebrate a human that we cannot fully trust? You think all the races care about your cause? If that is so, then why do you contradict yourself by working for Cerberus, a company dedicated solely towards human advancement?"

Shepard recognized the voice as a turian's but could not see where it was coming from. The crowd looked amongst themselves with astonishment. She narrowed her eyes and frowned. Taking precaution, she levitated her hand over her pistol.

"We will make sure that will never happen, Cerberus bitch," came the voice again. Suddenly Grunt shoved past her and glared menacingly at the crowd.

"Show yourself coward," he growled, withdrawing his shotgun. "I have a constant bloodlust and I am not afraid to satiate it right now." The crowd gasped and started to back away. Shepard could see several C-Sec officers coming towards their location.

She swallowed hard. "Put it away Grunt. Whoever that was, cannot do any harm to us if he can't even show his wretched face." She placed her fingers on her HUD light covering her right eye and turned back towards the vehicle.

Grunt gave one last hiss towards the crowd and stormed into the vehicle followed by the others. Shepard, the last to get in, took one last look at the crowd before sliding the door behind her.

Once inside, everyone clicked on their security belts except for Grunt and Jack.

"Who the hell was that," exclaimed Jack as she crossed her arms in disgust.

"I don't know," Miranda said clearing her throat, "but I will forward a request to C-Sec to review their security cameras to see who is the culprit. It is one thing to make negative remarks but to make it sound like a death threat is a serious matter." There was a slight pause as the vehicle jostled and gained altitude.

Thane sat by the window motionless, and kept his eyes focused outside. As the vehicle continued to glide more steadily, he tilted his head down and drew a deep breath.

"Are you alright, Thane?" questioned Tali with concern. Without a word, he nodded his head.

"Don't worry, he's always in his meditation state like that Samara asari," muttered Grunt as he shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

Samara, sitting across from him lifted her chin high. Her eyes gleamed at him. "Unlike you head-on brutes we like to channel our frustration and anger and utilize it as power. You should try it sometime." The calmness of her voice contradicted the message in her words. Grunt scoffed. The vehicle stopped a few times before continuing on again. Outside the Presidium came into view. Large white arks gleamed against the reflection of the vehicle's headlights. The vehicle gently halted once more and began to lower itself onto a designated space.

"Presidium!" announced the turian chauffeur as he set the vehicle's mode on standby.

Shepard reached for the handle and opened the door. The artificial lighting of the whole construct beamed all around them. They were standing in a timeless space, an area where no darkness would befall anyone that resided under this brightly lit haven. However, there was a bit of madness in this light- it was the very definition of insomnia, timelessness, a neverending routine.

"I wonder how these people sleep," wondered Samara out loud as she stood up tall in her tight crimson red suit. Before the squad could stop to absorb their surroundings, a tall, broad Captain Anderson descended down the embassy staircase followed by a small group of officers and diplomats.

"Shepard, welcome back," greeted Anderson with a large smile. Wrinkles formed around his dark face surrounded eyes that lit up like droplets of water. His military suit showed not the slightest wrinkle. Behind him was the tight-lipped Ambassador Udina.

"Shepard, congratulations on your success, and your squad of formidable heroes," the Ambassador said briskly as he folded his hands over his tusk white suit. Shepard nodded back but did not smile. There was not much sincerity in his voice.

"As you may know," began Udina in his rough voice, "We understand that you working with...Cerberus has been beneficial for everyone in the galaxy. Remember, Cerberus was once part of the Alliance, before they went rogue." There was distaste in his tone.

Shepard cocked her eyebrow. "What are you trying to say?"

"I am all for humanity Commander," Udina replied before turning to face the Presidium. "But I want to make you an offer, I want you to work for the Alliance again. Work for the people you trust." He folded his hands behind his back before turning to Shepard, waiting for her response. The rest of her squad glanced at her too, nervously.

"I am not really sure," she began, "I've already taken the risk of going along with the Illusive Man's plans. I was a bit skeptical at first, but everything he has done has benefited us so far. Why back down now?"

"Because we have doubts about your decision to hand over the Collector Ship to him," Udina shot back rather harshly. "We- no one knows for sure what Cerberus will do with such controversial material."

"Personally I think it would've been best if you chose to blow that ship to hell," added Captain Anderson who looked at Shepard with solemn eyes. "But I guess it was your decision. In the end, bottom line, we are concerned about Cerberus's intentions."

Miranda stepped forwards. "I think you should not question the Illusive Man's intentions. His intel has helped us this far- if it weren't for him, we'd be all turned into Reaper Juice right now!"

Udina shook his head. "Miranda, it is not in your position to talk. You are obviously biased in the fact that you are the Illusive Man's most valuable member aside from Shepard. It is up to her to decide...I just hope she makes the right choice."

Shepard bit on her tongue. Decisions. No matter what choice she made, someone would always end up getting hurt. "Udina, I am going to choose to stick with Cerberus for now. They are the only thing that is sponsoring humanity as we know it. But that doesn't mean I am going to leave everything unlocked for them." She summoned her amp and made a few adjustments on it. She motioned her squad to leave.

"Commander I would think twice if I were you," warned Udina. "Watch out. We hope you will reconsider, but don't come crying to us once Cerberus decides to turn their back on you."

Shepard stopped and turned her head back, gently tucking her brown hair behind her ears. "I'm just gonna continue doing what I do, being Commander Shepard."


	4. Chapter Three: An Assassin's Demise

***NOTE: **Yay more people are reading my story. Thanks for keeping a lookout by adding this to your subscriptions. Sorry if the last chapter was a bit dreary but hopefully I can compensate by writing some mind-blowing stuff. I will try my best to update as much as possible because I don't plan on ditching this story.

**Chapter Three: An Assassin's Demise**

Commander Shepard stared mesmerizingly at the galaxy map. She watched as millions of tiny projected sparkles lit up the screen every time she summoned it. She had ventured many planets, seen so many faces, been shot at so many times.

"Commander," cracked Joker's voice on the intercom, "Just to let you know, we ain't going anywhere for a few days. The Normandy's gonna be docked here for a while. We have to do a few repairs anyways."

"Acknowledged," responded Shepard as she stood up from her seat.

"Commander," began a sweet and feminine voice. Shepard turned around to see a bright faced Kelly Chambers beaming at her. There was always some sort of girlish quality in her Yeoman that seemed to resemble the essence of childhood and innocence. "You have...several thousand messages in your Private Terminal but I will have a few people sorting them out for you, leave you with the more important notices."

Shepard sighed. Fanmail, hate mail, of course. This is what you get for being a hero.

"That's an awful lot of messages," reacted Jacob as he revealed himself from the armoury room. "How was the meeting with the Ambassador?"

Shepard rubbed the area between her eyebrows. "Quite the usual. Udina and his anal attitude and Captain Anderson with his worrisome guilt-tripping. They are kind of making me worry about Cerberus Jacob. I am afraid that my doubts are growing"

"Well, whatever you choose I am behind you a hundred percent," smiled Jacob. "I'm sure something will come up soon, that will help you make your decision. Just give it some time."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," responded Shepard. She knew she had to be stronger in order to stick to her morals.

"In the meantime..." Jacob began hesitantly, "Am I allowed to leave the Normandy? I kind of uhh have some things to do."

Shepard waved him off. "Of course. For many months here I have kept you all captive in my ship, but your duties have paid off. For the next few days you are relieved of your posts unless notified. Get whatever chores you need to do done on the Citadel."

Jacob faced her. "Thanks Commander." He returned to the armoury.

Shepard stretched her arms. "You may leave if you need to, Kelly."

Kelly smiled sweetly. "I will. Let me just finish categorizing this final batch of messages."

Shepard placed her hand on the keyboard to check the status of her crew. Most of the squad had already left when they were notified earlier about their "off-time."

She then decided to take the elevator down to the Crews Quarters.

Shepard faced the long metallic hallway of the Crew's Quarters. She could hear the distant droning of the ship's battery from where she was standing, except it was quieter. The mess hall was more tranquil today. It seemed like most of the crew had decided to take a short leave from the Normandy.

She found herself facing the door to the Life Support room. The panel glowed a pale green, indicating that it was unlocked. Shepard opened it.

Thane sat like he always did in his chair- upright in a slightly slumped position, with his knuckles resting under his chin. He didn't bother to turn or speak when Shepard began to walk towards him.

"Thane," she began gently, "you know you can leave the Normandy."

His lips parted slowly as he dipped his head slightly, showing the black markings on his head. "Yes, I know that."

Shepard did not understand why he was suddenly so quiet. Perhaps the aftermath of the suicide mission had troubled him too. To her surprise, he swiftly withdrew his hands and stood up, facing her. His dark eyes flickered when he looked at Shepard. He swished his long black coat and turned to face the viewing window of the Life Support room. Outside shone the Citadel in all its glimmering glory. In a dreamy purple haze, it looked like an ornate jewel floating in the heart of the Serpent nebula.

Thane placed a gentle palm against the window. He remained silent for what seemed like hours.

"Kolyat." The words tumbled out of his mouth so naturally. They both knew the troubles associated with his son's name. Shepard remembered about the moment when Thane reunited with his son, after convincing him to recall his assassination attempt. She knew how strongly he felt towards Kolyat's decisions in life, how the absence of a father in a son's life could have such detrimental effects.

Thane's eyes flickered. "I've heard word of him. I thought after our reconciliation at the Citadel, my talks with him, I thought after all that he would change. I believed him." Thane began to pace the ledge by the window. "I had such strong hope for him. Us Drell are mentally very strong, and a family's relationship means a lot."

Shepard shot him a sympathetic glance. "I could imagine..."

"But no," responded Thane quietly but bitterly. He pounded a fist against the window. Shepard winced back in shock.

"He's working for some Merc-band," he continued. Thane crossed his arms and slid his hands in the sleeves of his coat. "Kolyat. A low-life merc doing mindless brutal deeds for whatever corrupt leader he has decided to follow. It was hard keeping my career under the table all these years. I knew Kolyat would find out and try to follow. But I never knew he would degrade himself by joining the mercs."

"Do you know which merc band specifically?" Shepard asked.

Thane turned to her. "Rumors say that a drell has been working amongst the Blue Suns. Drells are so rare that an appearance of one, especially in a merc-band can be quite unusual that many people would take notice of it. But I cannot be sure. I must find out for myself." Thane stood up and began to head towards the door.

"I must start my search. I know Captain Bailey has an archive of Blue Suns activity recorded in his information storage. I have to obtain it," Thane said boldly.

"You will never be able to pass by C-Sec security let alone get close to those files," responded Shepard negatively. "You need my help."

Thane shook his head. "This is a conflict between father and son. Any interception into this relationship by non-family members will be a bad omen, therefore it must be solely dealt with myself. Although we may have close ties with our family, ironically, our work and actions are quite solitary. That is why you never see groups of drell working together."

"If you didn't need my help then you would have told me to begin with," responded Shepard. She took a step towards Thane. "You know that. I have privileges from Captain Bailey. I can help you access those files, but it may take some time."

The drell sighed. "It never ceases to amaze me the far lengths you would go to help me. Thank you Shepard. I will be roaming the Citadel for now, let me know when you get the chance."He paused for a minute. "But please, I do not want this mentioned to anyone."

"Of course, crew confidentiality." Shepard smiled as Thane headed towards the door to leave the room. "Hey Thane, despite your career as an assassin, I admire the willingness you have in looking out for your son. Not many people are willing to mend let alone maintain those ties."

Thane looked over his shoulder and held Shepard's gaze once again. He managed a solemn smile. "That's why no assassin has a family." The door slid shut behind him and Shepard found herself standing alone in the room, absorbing the sorrow that Thane's word's truthfully spoke.


	5. Chapter Four: Breaking and Entering

***NOTE: **A super long chapter to be read. You have been warned Also, when Shepard encounters the bar, I did not have any particular name for the green shots she was taking. (In the game it's referred to as '_the strongest thing you've got'_ as opposed to genuine batarian ale and ryncol. Enjoy!

**Chapter Four: Breaking and Entering**

Shepard cracked her knuckles. She skimmed the document in front of her before signing her name on the indicated box and shoving it in a folder. Read, summarize, sign, shove. Repeat. She had already endured two painful hours in the Citadel's embassy in the Presidium, and she had about enough of this bureaucratic crap.

"I guess it ain't so easy being a hero," she mumbled to herself as she slammed down hard on a stapler. She tossed a thick booklet of papers into the folder. Since she had arrived at the embassy, she had to file her own reports of the mission, and go into depth about the extent of her actions. She began to dread the attacks and scrutiny under the watchful eye of the media. She glanced at the time. Just a little past noon in Citadel space. She began to map out in her mind how she would go about obtaining the files from Captain Bailey's office. First she needed his passcard to access his office. Since he was the head of administration, obtaining that one piece of authorization would be nearly impossible. Second, she would have to hack into his computer and find a way to infiltrate the file quickly and efficiently. Ontop of that, evading detection would be the hardest, for his office was located in the Presidium's administration tower.

Shepard turned towards a stack of blank data pads. An idea struck her. She took her time to summarize her testimony of the mission and locked the entry into one of the data pads.

Shepard finished with the last of her paperwork and placed them in a box she was instructed to do. She then strode towards the balcony overlooking the Presidium. Leaning against the white railing attached to the floor, she placed two fingers on her comm. It clicked.

"Thane, it's Shepard, do you read me," she called quietly.

Static cruised her comm link before she heard a muffled reply. "Affirmative."

"What is your location?"

"Nearby. I am always not far, Shepard."

Shepard peered down the railing five floors down to see a small group of salarians debating loudly.

"Alright," responded Shepard with caution, "I'm going to C-Sec now." She paused for a few seconds while thinking about something to say discreetly. "I'll be back soon."

"Acknowleged." This a quick click, she turned away from the railing and headed towards the door, datapad in hand.

C-Sec was bustling with people. It took Shepard ten extra minutes before she could even find the line-up that snaked its way through the crowd for those waiting to talk to Captain Bailey. His exasperated frown lessened dramatically when he noticed Shepard amongst the crowd.

"Shepard!" he called waving her over. The volus he was tending to grew impatient and crossed its arms in defiance. Shepard apologetically pushed past the line-up and stood at the foot of the Captain's desk.

"Excuse me," breathed the stout Volus, "But I was here first. I have been lining up for an hour!"

The bright yellow glow of the eyes on his mask glared straight up at Shepard.

"I think my business here prioritizes yours," Shepard responded coldly.

"Arrogant human!" cried the volus, "Humans always think they have priority over everything! Look lady, my feet are tired, I am hungry as hell and I need to get my trading pass renewed!"

Captain Bailey turned around. A bundle of agitated turian officers worked busily behind their desks, tending to each civilian as efficiently as possible.

"Kilix!"shouted Captain Bailey as a young turian glanced up from his terminal. "Would you be as kind as to tend to this patient volus here?"

The exhausted looking turian officer wearing the signature armour of C-Sec stood up and walked towards the Captain. "Alright, come over here sir." His voice seemed slightly annoyed. He briefly glanced at Shepard and back to the volus. The volus cleared his throat and waddled behind the turian as he led him to his desk.

"What do you need?" asked Captain Bailey. "As you can see, we're extremely busy today, busier than usual."

Shepard proceeded to walk behind his desk until she faced his side. In her right hand, she held the data pad. She needed to stall for time so she could secretly look for the passcard.

"I came to the embassy this morning to file my reports regarding the last mission I led. It was quite an exhausting and endeavorous process but I managed to get it done. In addition, I documented my testimony onto this data pad, and Captain Anderson advised that I give it to you to log it," Shepard explained slowly as she handed him the locked data pad. As Captain Bailey scanned it, she quickly skimmed his desk with her eyes in search of the passcard. Pencils, pens, crumpled notes, data pads, files, identification cards, mugshots and forged banknotes littered his desk. But no sign of the passcard.

"I see," Captain Bailey responded. "I didn't think the embassy would have me log your testimony, but I guess orders are orders." He noticed Shepard's wandering eyes. Suddenly the Captain glanced over at his desk, ashamed.

"Yeah, I know my desk is a mess, but I won't have time to straighten it out until after I tend to these hordes of people." He then unbuttoned his jacket and slumped it behind him on the chair. Shepard eyed the pockets. There, in his left pocket hung the passcard attached to a C-Sec lanyard. The jacket slipped to the floor. Shepard did not hestitate to bend over and pick it up for him. In the process, she grabbed the passcard and squeezed the lanyard into her palm, concealing it with the balling of her fist. She kindly hung the jacket around Bailey's chair.

"Thank you Shepard," the Captain responded out of gratitude. "Is there anything else I can do for you?"

"That's it for now," replied Shepard with a solid smile. Captain Bailey nodded at her and watched her disappear into the line-up.

Shepard stood at the base of the Administration Tower in the Presidium. On either side of her were two large cherry blossom trees situated in containments of fresh soil and white stone. The citadel's repair and renovations were quite efficient, and the city did not hesitate to beautify the once destroyed architecture of their beloved Presidium. Shepard boldy hiked up a small series of stairs and bounded past a set of revolving doors. Inside, a long marble desk was situated before her with two chatty asari behind it. They looked too distracted to even notice that she had walked in. Her boots clicked on the marble floor as she casually made her way towards the elevators.

"I can't believe that pompous diplomat asked you to do that for him!" exclaimed one of the asari in shock as the other one opened her mouth to speak.

Shepard shook her head as she pressed the ascension button on the elevator. The glass doors slid open and Shepard stepped inside.

Pressing the button to the thirty-ninth floor, she did not hesitate to summon her comm link. There was too much static interference in the elevator.

The elevator finally slowed its pace and the glass doors slid open revealing a long hallway towards a large room. Shepard suddenly stopped in her tracks and hid on one side of the hallway. She had almost forgotten about the security cameras. She needed a way to get past those cameras.

Pressing on her comm link, she whispered, "Thane, I'm in the tower, but there are several cameras situated in the hallways towards Bailey's office." She waited eagerly for a response.

"Don't worry about it," replied Thane after a few seconds. "I've dealt with it already. I hacked every security camera in this building and replaced the video with a loop that will last for approximately 45 minutes." Shepard's body relaxed as she slid away from the wall. She walked confidently towards the office.

The outside of the office was a long, convex shape, made partially of bulletproof matte and transparent glass. In the centre was a large circular, metallic door similar to the doors at the wards. A customized, curved metal-plated sign was welded into the glass that read: _Head of C-Sec Administration._

Etched underneath the title was a list of human and turian captains and officers that resided in this office.

Shepard gripped onto the handle and pulled out the passcard. She slid it through the entry slot and the door slid apart into two halves. In the centre of the room was a large translucent, glass fountain in the shape of the citadel. Shepard walked forwards as the door slid shut behind her and marvelled at the beautiful microarchitecture of the fountain's design. On the sides of the room were bookshelves and boxes filled with books and data pads.

Shepard pressed on her comm link once again. "Thane, I'm in."

There was a slight crackle. "Good. Now let me inside, I am on the farside of Bailey's window."

Shepard walked around the fountain and passed several rooms with names emblazoned on the doors. She reached the last one in the hall and used the passcard once again. A smaller version of the main door gave way and she walked in, clicking on the lights in the office. Situated in the corner was a large desk, slightly more organized than the one in C-Sec. To the far right of the room was a personalized washroom and perpendicular to it, a small bed.

Shepard quickly opened the door to the balcony. Thane sat on the ledge, with a freshly retracted rappel in his hand. He nodded at Shepard and stepped inside the office. She shut the balcony door behind her.

Thane was quick. In his left hand he held a small metallic device. He quickly attached a cord to it and summoned the screen to Bailey's private terminal. In two quick motions, he plugged the hacking device into the terminal and typed in a series of codes into the device.

"You do this like it's an everyday chore," complimented Shepard as she watched Thane type.

The drell smiled. "It's what I do." Within a few minutes Thane had complete access of the terminal. He opened several files and browsed through it. After a few clicks, he had found the documents to the Blue Suns. Extracting the files into a separate folder, he turned to Shepard.

"Is there a blank data pad nearby?"

Shepard turned to a bookshelf behind her. At the bottom stacked neatly in a corner were ten dormant data pads. Shepard retrieved one of them and handed it to Thane. He quickly unplugged the hacking device and replaced it with the blank data pad. The information began to load very slowly. In the meantime, Thane began to sift through the files. He skimmed through many pages and documents until he came across his son's name.

"There," he mouthed. "Young male drell. Affiliation with Blue Suns. Suspected of smuggling illegal cargo into the wards." He continued to skim the information. "Last known activity in Omega working under a powerful drug and arms dealer by the name of Synn. Extremely notorious turian. Have you ever heard of that name before?"

"He might've come up a few times on the Galactic News, but I am not sure. Is that it?" asked Shepard as she leaned towards the computer.

"I think so," replied Thane. "But there may be more information about his gang's activity somewhere else in these files. I will take the time to sift through them once I return to the Normandy. Shepard nodded. They waited for the last of the information to be loaded onto the data pad.

Suddenly, they heard the door to the main entrance open. Shepard hurried and locked the door to Bailey's room. She shut off the lights.

Thane glanced up. "We must go." He gathered his things and switched the terminal to standby. Shepard placed the passcard on his desk. They both climbed onto the balcony and faced the artificial light. She waited as Thane prepared the rappel. Latching the end onto the ledge, he motioned for Shepard to come.

"Is this how you got up? I would've expected a more stealthy way," she commented as Thane levelled himself against the wall.

"I am strategic and careful. There is a path down this building where no one will detect us. It's at the back near a row of trees." His eyes flickered as he held his hand out to Shepard. She reluctantly took it and found herself being held in the firm arms of the drell. Their legs intertwined. Together they rappelled down the long side of the building, away from the windows.

She gasped slightly as she looked downwards from the high height they descended from.

"Commander, don't tell me you're scared," Thane asked as breathed heavily.

Shepard smirked. "I've handled the Collectors. I've fallen great heights and have slipped in and out of consciousness many times. Of course I am not scared."

Their feet finally touched soft earth behind the building. A leafy canopy temporarily concealed their presence. Shepard moved away just as Thane released her from his arm. He carefully retracted his rappel.

"After the Normandy has finished her repairs, I will ask Joker to prioritize Omega as one of our destinations," Shepard announced, brushing aside her dark brown hair. She adjusted her HUD headset.

Thane turned to her and straightened out his jacket. "I feel obligated to thank you again, Shepard. Really, I would never have been able to obtain this information without you." His voice suddenly softened and grew into a faint whisper. "Thank you again si-Shepard."

It felt like a cryo blast had crystallized her from the inside. Shepard remembered aboard the Normandy in the Life Support room when she had just finished helping Thane to reunite with his son. He had called her _siha_, after the intimate conversation they had together. Shepard had made it clear to him afterwards that she was strictly his commanding officer. She was worried about where this unintention was heading.

"We should return to the Normandy," she suggested, trying to brush off the awkwardness. Thane agreed and together they walked across the bridge in the Presidium in silence.

It was approaching early evening now and most of the noonday's people had cleared C-Sec. Captain Bailey was nowhere to be seen in the Zakara ward. Thane and Shepard headed towards the open door that led to the docking bay. The turian security guard that scanned them earlier returned to his post to start his night shift. Surprisingly enough, emerging from the corridor was Garrus.

He spotted both of them and descended down the stairs towards the Zakara ward.

"Did you just come from the Normandy?" asked Shepard.

"Yep," responded Garrus cooly. In his right hand he clutched tightly with his long fingers a paper bag. "I am going to meet a friend that I have not seen for a long time. He's currently working in C-Sec, but we go waaayyyy back when I used to have my office here."

"We're just heading back to the ship," Thane responded in a neutral tone. His demeanour had returned to the way it was before when they arrived at the Citadel for the first time after the mission.

"What is the name of your friend? Well, that is, if you don't mind telling me," asked Shepard curiously.

"His name is Kilix. Despite the fact that he is younger than me, we both enrolled in military back in Palaven and fulfilled our military service. I joined C-Sec shortly after and we became reunited a few years later when he decided to work on contract at C-Sec. Since then, he has remained here I guess."

Shepard responded, "I think I met him earlier today actually. He didn't seem too happy though."

Garrus's eyes lit up with surprise at her encounter. He chuckled. "Of course, C-Sec isn't really a job that is defined as 'happy'."

Thane turned towards the corridor that Garrus had exited from. "Commander, I am going to return to the Normandy now to review some things and then meditate."

Shepard nodded and watched the drell ascend up the staircase and vanish through the brightly lit corridor.

"Hey, if you want, you can come meet Kilix. Formally, I mean. He would be quite intrigued with you," added Garrus.

Shepard bit her lower lip. "I'm not sure. Maybe I should go back to the Normandy."

"Come on," tempted Garrus. "Just for an hour or so. Maybe less. You should learn how to relax a little commander. Ever since we got here you've been scurrying around doing paper work and running errands."

Shepard sighed. She decided to cave in. "Okay, I guess a little while won't hurt." The pair began to walk towards the direction of Zakara's mid-wards. "Garrus, you seem happier these days."

The turian kept walking with his head slightly bowed, fringe pointing upwards. "Remember when I said that I wanted something to go right, just once?"

Shepard reminisced the moment he had said that. "Yes."

"Well something has gone right. My entire life has been filled with misery, violence and injustice. For once, I can feel...normal."

Shepard ached at his words. She could not even begin to imagine the horrors he had witnessed in his past, especially in Omega. She decided to change the topic.

"So where are we going anyways?" They had walked around a winding hallway and descended down another flight of stairs. Several people passed them by dressed in flashy outfits.

"I'm meeting Kilix at Dark Star." As they passed through a final door, Shepard could hear clearly the loud pounding of the music. Patterns of bright light and strobe bounced around the walls of the open doors the popular nightclub.

"This doesn't seem like the place you would ever go to...unless it was against your will," remarked Shepard as Garrus boldly walked in front of her, clutching the bag.

Inside the room glowed a luminous black and blue, changing colours in response to the beat of the music. The bar was bustling with an assortment of different races. Even the dance floor was alive. Human women and asari danced together in their long, form-fitting dressed that exposed parts of their upper chest or stomach, leaving the rest to imagination. The club was surprisingly cool, if not, chilly. The air conditioners were working on full blast in order to expel the sweat and impurities that emitted from the unwinding of tiresome bodies after a long day's of hard work. Salarian, and volus businessmen relaxed in the lounge area, sipping occasionally from their drinks.

The turian bartender that was renowned for his skill in mixing drinks was seen tossing bottles of various concoctions. Shepard remembered shamefully of the time he had mixed her several drinks before she passed out.

The turian bartender took notice of Garrus. "Vakarian! Long time no see. Didn't think you would even dream of venturing in here. What will it be?"

Garrus grinned at and placed the paper bag on the table. "Genuine batarian ale. The best out there, but don't say I did." Obtaining batarian ale was not easy, unless you had captured an illegal batarian shipment of alcohol on Omega. Garrus guiltily kept a small crate of alcohol salvaged from the shipment and hid it in his sleeping quarters. Very seldom did he drink but every time he visited Dark Star, he would generously give the bartender a free bottle.

"I thought turians couldn't drink that stuff," questioned Shepard curiously.

"You're talking about the green shots," answered the bartender with a smirk. "Those are catered to humans and asari. Man, those asari sure love drinking those."

"I see." Shepard watched as a drunken turian on the other side of the bar began to lose balance. A concerned looking asari held onto his arm to keep his balance. He dropped the shotglass onto the table and toppled backwards.

"Anyway," said the bartender casually, "I think your friend is waiting for you over there." He pointed his head in the direction of the brightly lit lounge area while drying off a shotglass.

Garrus and Shepard both turned to their left and saw a lonely C-Sec turian sitting alone at a circular white table. He sat slumped, with his forearms resting on his thighs. He caught sight of the two and instantly lifted his head.

"Kilix," called Garrus as he walked towards the lounge and gave his comrade a playful punch on the shoulder.

"It's been a while, hasn't it," Kilix replied, patting Garrus firmly on the back. It almost seemed more like a slap. Shepard carefully seated herself between them. She felt herself growing tired.

"Kilix, this is my commanding officer, Shepard," Garrus introduced politely.

The young turian fixed his eyes on Shepard's weary grey irises. "Uhm, hey. I'm Kilix." He reached his long gloved hand to shake Shepard's.

"Commander Shepard," she responded formally, taking his hand.

"So I hear you're the galaxy's biggest hero," Kilix began, hoping to break the tension.

Shepard shook her head. "I'm sure there are many brave souls out there, they just haven't been propagated or demonized by the media yet." She turned her head towards the dance floor and noticed the patrons had slowly become more intoxicated throughout the night. The bright light pouring into the lounge suddenly flashed a powerful cobalt blue, turning everyone's skin into a pale sapphire.

"Free drinks on the house tonight," announced the turian bartender as he headed towards their table. He unloaded a tray full of green shots, mixtures of batarian ale and notorious shots of ryncol.

"Sweet," Kilix exclaimed as he did not hesitate to down the batarian ale.

Shepard hesitantly eyed the shots that were placed before her. "Am I really going to be drinking this tonight?"

Simultaneously, Garrus and Kilix both shouted, "Yes!"

Shepard reached towards the tray and held in her hands a cold glass of the green liquid. Against the light it looked almost mesmerizing. She closed her eyes and poured the liquid in her mouth in one swift movement. Extremely bitter. It had been a long time since she last consumed any alcohol.

"So Kilix," began Garrus as he remained in his seat without touching a drink. "How has work at C-Sec been since I left?"

Kilix chuckled to himself as he downed a powerful shot of ryncol. He made an agonizing face. "Much better since that drunkard Harkin left. I hear he's been living out his days at Afterlife in Omega, drinking his ass away and spending credits on asari strippers and escorts." He reached for another shot of ryncol, and downed it faster than Shepard could even reach for her second glass.

"It has been hard work so far," continued Kilix. "Captain Bailey is really making me do a lot of hard work. Some days I spend my afternoons patrolling the wards, milling about to see what trouble is happening. Not much. Maybe just a few cases where Duct rats are caught in an altercation or two, but it's really not anything. Other days I am stuck in that office of mine, doing paperwork until I get the job done."

"Hah," began Garrus. "It's not all that great. Aside from the decent pay perhaps, the work can be quite monotonous."

"They revised their security policies after the geth attack, like refurbished everything," noted Shepard as she lipped a tall glass of the batarian ale mixture. "C-Sec has really changed. They're so far up your ass about everything it makes commuting here a bit of a hassel."

"I totally agree," added Garrus quickly, "hence why I left."

Kilix drank half his glass of batarian ale. He motioned for Garrus to have a drink. "Why aren't you drinking at all? Come on, you're a turian! You should be able to handle more than humans."

Garrus shook his head. "Maybe I'll have some ale later, but drinking is not really my thing, unless it's a nicely aged bottle of wine from Palaven."

Kilix laughed and wiped his mouth. "Yes, I miss those days."

Together they drank until their tray was almost empty. Shepard was left with three more shots of the green liquid. She felt her head becoming a little dizzy but she was conscious of everything. The music in the lounge suddenly changed to a loud, upbeat tune. Several drunken patrons abandoned their drinks at the bar and flocked to the dance floor.

Shepard decided to raise a curious issue for the turians, while she was still sober.

"Have you guys ever heard of a turian named Synn?" she asked, noticing her voice was being drowned out by the loud music.

"What about a turian? You're gonna have to speak louder!" shouted Kilix as he drew a long sip from his glass.

Shepard lean forwards against the table until she was almost halfway across. "Have you heard about a turian named Synn?" At the sound of the name, Kilix spat out his ale and dropped the glass on the table, spilling the bubbling fluid all over the tray.

"Fucking Synn? Why are you asking about him, what business do you have with him?" Kilix replied rather defensively. Even though he was inebriated, his face suddenly became serious.

"Who wants to know?" Garrus asked, as he leaned inward, concerned.

Shepard was shocked at their sudden change in demeanour. "I need some business that has to be taken care of."

Kilix shook his head. "You don't want to be messing with him. Once you're involved in his affairs, you're a dead man."

"Yeah, okay," replied Shepard with distaste. "But you're talking to someone who just saved the galaxy. I can handle anyone or anything."

"He's a drug and arms overlord situated in Omega," explained Garrus. "He always manages to evade the law when he does business outside of the Omega nebula but he retains immunity when he is on his turf. We can't really touch him. He is responsible for hundreds- possibly thousands of deaths. He is also the reason why some districts in Palaven are so corrupt and poverty-stricken. He supplies inebriants to the young turians who drop out of military service and turn to a life of crime." Garrus's face darkened. "I've been hunting him for the longest time in Omega, but became caught up with the mercs instead."

There was a long, awkward silence as the loud synthesizing beat slowed to hollow fade. The song was ending. The sweaty patrons returned to the bar and began to chat and order more drinks.

"Let's finish this," Kilix said, breaking the silence. He grabbed a shot of ryncol and mixed it in his ale. Shepard decided to bury her worry about this turian by downing four consecutive shots of the green liquid. She finished with the final shot of ryncol.

"Now thas how you dooo ittt," Kilix remarked with sluggish speech. As if he had almost forgotten about the serious matter they were just discussing, he pointed a drunken finger at Shepard. Shepard's face began to feel extremely hot and her vision became a blur. The music sounded muffled to her and the patrons dancing were simply reduced to moving blobs. Even the shape of Garrus started to become hazy.

"Shepard, you alright?" Garrus asked as he placed a hand on her shoulder. She looked at him with glassy grey eyes that made them seem teary against the light. The hair on the sides of her face fell forward, blocking her face when she leaned forwards. Garrus held onto her and helped her to her feet.

"I'll be righ-" Kilix stood up and leaned against the wall. "Righ-right back. I've gotta...go to expel some stuff." The inebriated turian took his time to walk towards the washroom.

Shepard stood up and stumbled to the ground, landing on her side. Her reaction time suddenly slowed. Everything Garrus said sounded incomprehensible. Her response to external stimuli became numb when Garrus slung her arm over his shoulder. She coughed several times and felt a wave of nausea overcome her. Nothing came out. She groaned.

"We're getting you out of here," assured Garrus as he carefully slung Shepard over his shoulder. Her arms dangled lifelessly on his back. She looked up and squinted. The flashing lights on the ceiling did not help. As Garrus slowly made his way out of the nightclub, the sounds around her began to diminish, except for the violent thumping of her heart in her ears. She could feel no pain on her body, except for a horrible gut-churning feeling resonating from inside.

"You are going to have the worst hangover of your life," commented Garrus as he entered the mouth of the Zakara ward. "Imagine this. Headline: Saviour of the galaxy found inebriated and passed out at Dark Star. Turian hero carries his superior to safety." He drew a disappointed sigh. "But don't worry, I will make sure you are okay." He stopped to shift his weight before passing through the entrance of the citadel. The turian security guard suddenly snapped awake when he noticed Shepard.

"Stop," the turian called, approaching the downed commander.

"Relax," assured Garrus in a tiresome voice. "I'm just returning her to the Normandy. She will seek medical attention immediately." The turian guard glanced at Shepard and then back to Garrus's sincere eyes. He nodded in acknowledgement. Shepard opened her eyes. The last thing she saw was a blanket of deep purple sky above their heads, emblazoned with millions of gem-like sparkles. Several ships streamed across the sky like slow moving comets. Shepard closed her eyes and inhaled the cool, outside air. The sky was fading. She watched as the stars spiralled into the dark recesses of her unconscious until the sky was no more.


	6. Chapter Five: Ghosts of the Past

***NOTE: **I haven't written in a few days because I've recently gotten sick and also midterm exams are coming ): Hopefully this will be a bit to chew on before I can continue.

**Chapter Five: Ghosts of the Past**

Shepard's vision was blurry when she woke up. The grey walls around her seemed to bend and wobble, melting together like smooth liquid mercury. She saw a rigid figure sitting beside her on the messy blankets of her bed. Pointed fringe indicated it was Garrus.

"Easy there," came Garrus's soothing voice that seemed to hold her like one's reassuring arms.

Shepard crawled up and suddenly leaned over her beside. A wave of nausea flooded her like a swarm of collectors overtaking a human colony. She opened her mouth and vomited for what seemed to be an eternity. When she finished, she rolled back to her side, groaning in pain as her sweaty brown hair fell messily onto her agonized face.

"Fuck," she croaked, "what the hell happened."

"Many shots of ryncol, I knew I should've stopped you," declared Garrus as he stood up to fetch a glass of water from her bedside. He pulled Shepard's limp body up and supported her back with his sturdy arm.

"Drink this," he ordered. Shepard's dry lips parted as he poured the glass down. Satiated, she flopped back down with one arm covering her face. It wasn't just the fact that she looked like shit in front of her crew right now, or that she would earn a bad reputation, it was the fact that her morals suddenly faltered and she felt degraded and inferior.

"You really need rest," added Garrus with a pressing voice. He slowly lowered Shepard's body back down and stared at her. She thought he heard him sigh to himself.

"I don't know if this is the greatest time," he began, "but I've been meaning to ask something, just out of my curiousity." He waited for Shepard to permit him to continue. She used her other hand to wave him on.

"Joker has mapped our course to Omega," Garrus began, "but why are we going there? What business do we have?" He suddenly stopped and realized that his questions seemed too brutish and upfront.

"Help someone," Shepard relied groggily.

Garrus's head quickly turned towards her. "Help who? Who is it that needs helping.."

Shepard hoisted her body up until her weight became supported on an elbow as she leaned over the side of her bed. She paused, waiting for her vomit to come projecting out in a disgusting outburst of impurities from the night before. Nothing. Yet.

"I-I don't mean to intrude," Garrus went apologetically. "But I'm wondering if this will involve any of the crew at all."

"Sure it does," she responded casually, still waiting. Though she was hungover as hell, she didn't want to reveal Thane's secret. "I'm just hunting someone."

Garrus's fringe perked up. "Hunting, realllly?" His voice heightened slightly in curiousity. He took his long hand and placed it gently on the groove of Shepard's back. "Who is this...honoured person."

Shepard dry heaved twice. "Some overlord." She heaved a third time but this time it came out.

Garrus kept rubbing her back for support. "Ah, I see. I smell corruption." He knew exactly who she was hunting, when she had mentioned the name of the drug lord turian at the Dark Star lounge.

Shepard flopped back onto her back, eyes rolled. "I'm gonna die."

Garrus smiled. "Well, I guess there's one thing in the galaxy you cannot defeat. And you better lay off of that poison for a while."

Shepard began to drift into a loud hangover slumber just as Garrus began tucking in her sheets. He filled her water glass along with a large pitcher on the side of her bed. He lay down beside her, arms folded behind his head, eyes fixed on the metal-plated ceiling. He began to drift into his own sleep, one blink at a time.

Shepard nearly crumbled under the weight of the collector particle beam she was holding. She had been strafing her ass off, keeping her determined eyes fixed on the Reaper core. She angled the heavy weapon and fired straight into the reaper larvae. The sound of a hot laser beam striking cold metal burned her ears. Beside her, Garrus fired a concussive shock, knocking a collector off the platform. In front of her, brave Tali leapt over a bronze wall of cover and dove for another one. She swift angled herself over the cover and fired her shotgun menacingly right before it overheated.

Garrus winced as he took a hit from a collector.

"We can hold them off!," he shouted, "We'll cover you as you go for the core!" His assault rifle blared over his head as he winced a few more times.

_We're this close to defeating it,_ Shepard thought, blood boiling with fury. She jumped over a collector's dead body and fired the collector particle beam again, slicing the human reaper's metal face. She aimed for the supportive tubes that seemed to be holding the colossal machine up. An orangey red fluid spewed wildly as she punctured the structural tubing. Immediately the metallic giant lurched forward, letting out a loud groan as if it had felt the pain that was inflicted.

In the corner of her eye, she saw one collector levitate to the air. A great beam of sunlight emerged and shot out from the cracks of the creature's skin. Arms outstretched, a familiar haunting voice broke through the sound of the carnage. "We are the harbinger, and Shepard, this is the end." The collector slowly touched the ground but did not hesitate to fire at Shepard. Piercing rounds bounced off of her suit as she dropped the heavy weapon and recoiled to safety behind cover. Her heart pounded as if it were going to rip through her heavy skin weave and burst through her biotic field. She didn't want to feed harbinger with her fear. Biting her lower lip, she withdrew her machine gun pistol and fired it at the glowing collector, strafing as she went. She evaded shots from the human reaper but handed on her knees as she ducked for cover once again.

"We're almost there!" cried Tali as she fired at Harbinger, dissolving him into dust. She focused her attention back to the human reaper.

Shepard hopped back to where she dropped her beam. Picking it up once more, she fired hard until the reflection of the beam's glare seemed to colour her own eyes a fearsome gold. Finally, the other tubule gave way, causing the enormous head of the human reaper to smash the platform before them. Suddenly, she slipped off her feet and began sliding downwards. The human reaper was bringing the platform down. Shepard cried out for her teammates as she grabbed onto a stone ledge. She watched in horror as a large piece of debris from the collector's building tumble down onto Tali.

"NOO! TALI!" Shepard screamed as her other hand grabbed out to where Tali once was. She desperately tried to keep her grip as the conglomerate of debris and bodies trickled out the crevices from below. Shepard's face gleamed wet with tears and sweat.

As more debris tumbled down on the other end of the platform, the structure began to gain balance again. Shepard grunted as her body was thrown onto the other side of the platform.

"Garrus!" she screamed, frantically glancing around for her lost comrade.

"Shepard!" came a familiar call. Garrus's sniper rifle slid down the platform as more debris crushed the same end again, causing it to become uneven.

Shepard's trembling fingers squeezed onto the comm. Link. "Joker, we need to evac a.s.a.p...get us the FUCK out of here!"

Static interrupted and faded. _Click._

A demonic laugh echoed through her comm. "Stop struggling human. You are weak and when you die, mankind dies. We are the harbinger, and you are no more..."

Shepard's volume peaked. She quickly ripped off her HUD headset and threw it down into the darkness below. It felt like an earthquake. She felt her body slipping. A large piece of bronze metal showered down onto her shoulder, causing her to let go. She slipped near the bottom, grabbing onto another piece of cover. The platform was almost falling vertical now. She looked up to see Garru's blue blur come tumbling down towards the edge. His long fingers managed to grab onto the bottom of the platform's railing.

"Shepard!" he cried, "we need to get out of here!"

"Hang on Garrus!" cried Shepard back as she inched her hand to grab Garrus's. A tumbling piece of debris came between them and scraped her armour. She became engulfed in an electrifying biotic field, as her armour tried to heal her. She watched in terror as Garrus's body began to dangle.

"Don't give in, just-just keep hanging on! I'm coming," she screamed through clenched teeth as she used all her strength to grab onto Garrus's hand.

Another large piece of debris crashed overhead them, just barely missing Shepard's head but intercepting their contact. Garrus's fingers slipped as the debris crushed him, sending him down into the darkness.

"GARRUS!" screamed Shepard as her wide eyes glared downwards into the dark void of nothingness. She felt debris piling onto her back too, breaking her shoulderblades and crushing her ribs. Harbinger's deafening laugh deafened her ears as she finally let go.

Shepard awoke screaming and panting. Her arms lurched forward in the darkness until she clutched the side of her bed. Her guts wrenched as she puked violently over her beside. She barely felt Garrus uncoil from her bed and touch her shoulder with his hand. Puking one last bit, she knocked over the pail of water, making a loud crashing sound before she withdrew her trembling arms back toward herself. She let out a distressed cry.

"Shepard! SHEPARD! Calm down, shhh just calm down!" cried Garrus as he wrapped a blanket around her. Tears began streaming down her face as she reluctantly showed Garrus her fearful eyes. She was having a traumatic experience, post traumatic stress disorder. Her continuous nightmares pushed her nerve beyond the edge, making her fearful to ever sleep again.

"Shepard," Garrus whispered quietly as he held her body. Shepard quivered and continued to break down. Suddenly the lights in her cabin lit up and the door slid open. In ran Dr. Chakwas and Mordin.

EDI's A.I. figure appeared on a nearby panel. "I've called in the doctors after being disturbed by some of Shepard's traumatic behaviour."

Garrus quickly motioned them to come over, despite them running.

"In shock, needs to be sedated," Mordin announced quickly as Dr. Chakwas quickly prepared a syringe and a mild sedative.

"She's been puking since she got here, I guess a hangover isn't the only problem she isn't experiencing," Garrus briefed as he lay Shepard's crying body into prone position. Dr. Chakwas hurried over with the syringe and administered the injection on Shepard's trembling arm. Her head turned as she vomited again, this time with a little blood.

"What has she been doing?" demanded Chakwas urgently.

Garrus didn't hesitate to tell the truth. "It's my fault. I brought her over to Dark Star yesterday to meet a friend of mine from C-Sec. I guess the bartender gave us one too many and Shepard thought she could take on the alcohol. I've been with her since then."

Chakwas looked deep into Garrus with her sharp sympathetic grey eyes. For a minute it looked like she was going to explode with rage at him. Instead, she kindly nodded. "Good. Continue to stay with her." Her face then darkened. "But why is she panicing like this? I've never seen such mad after-effects from alcohol."

"I think she is having nightmares," suspected Garrus sadly as looked protectively over a calmer Shepard. She had stopped trembling but her eyes were closed, chest rising up and down slowly.

"Ah," added Mordin. "Of course. PTSD. Post-traumatic stress disorder. Common among soldiers and people suffering from traumatic experiences. Cannot be cured medically. Need mental and emotional support. Very important for well-being. Probably from last mission with Collectors." His large black eyes blinked. He turned to Garrus. "Don't know how long she has been experiencing them. Do you have idea, Garrus?"

Garrus shook his head as he rose up from Shepard's bed, smoothing out his uniform. "I have not a single clue. She looks tired and worrisome sometimes, but I never suspected she'd be having serious nightmares. She never mentioned anything." He couldn't help but feel slightly betrayed.

"We'll have a talk with her when she wakes up," assured Dr. Chakwas. "But in the meantime, I think I will stay here with her. I think EDI is the only one who has seen what happened. Mordin, you can return to the tech lab. Garrus, you may leave the commander's cabin too to take a break. I'm sure you've been through quite a lot too."

Garrus bowed his head slightly in respect and nodded. "I am worried. But I guess the

less people in here, the better." He gave Chakwas and Mordin a head nod before leaving. The salarian followed.

Dr. Chakwas took her soft, aged hands and caressed the side of Shepard's sweaty face. Once distraught and screaming in sheer panic, the commander seemed to sleep peacefully without any problem.

"Oh you poor soul," the doctor whispered. "What is going through your mind right now..."

He suddenly felt slightly betrayed.


	7. Chapter Six: Enter Omega

***NOTE: **I just updated the chapter today! (Oct. 24th) Please read in if you haven't already!

Tensions are boiling, some crazy stuff is about to go down

* And thank you Euromellows, you are most welcome! I will continue this fanfic if more people continue to read/review!

**Chapter Six: Enter Omega**

Mess Hall. Crew's Cabin. Miranda Lawson exited her office with a datapad in hand and a mug of coffee in the other. EDI had just forwarded her Chakwas' report on Shepard. She took one last swig on her stale coffee before placing the glass on the sheen metal table before her. The kitchen of the crew's cabin was empty, except for Garrus, Thane and Samara. They sat together at the table, speaking in hushed tones but halted themselves at the presence of Miranda.

"No need," Miranda said breathing in a deep sigh. She leaned her back against the Normandy's hull wall, placing one heel against it. "I'm sure you've already heard of what's going on."

For a moment, no one spoke. Thane sat motionless with his eyes fixated blankly against the wall, knuckles folded under his chin. Garrus sat casually, focussing on Miranda's mug. The tall Justicar sat cross-legged, eyes in meditation, body emitting an eerie blue glow.

"Shepard is strong, but what she is going through right now may be beyond her physical and mental control. Has she mentioned anything about this to any of you?" Miranda spoke. She watched in disappointment as the three shook their heads.

Samara raised her head. "I could sense a great deal of negative energy emitting from her quarters, a type of aura that seemed to manifest itself in the dead of night." Samara's eyes resumed back to their pooly blue irises.

"Yes, it seems that Shepard has been having recurring nightmares, and according to Chakwas and Mordin it is most likely PTSD," continued Miranda. "Many soldiers endure such hardships that the repercussions come back to haunt them."

"But what I don't understand is that why does this happen now? I know Shepard's military past has been quite traumatizing, I'm sure those burdens haunt her too," inquired Thane.

"But we are dealing with a threat that is incomparable to typical enemy soldiers, geth, mercs, guerrilla fighters, assassins," responded Miranda firmly, "we're dealing with the Reapers here. That threat is beyond even placing your finger on."

"Yeah. I just hope Shepard is is okay, the Normandy won't be the same without her here," Garrus added. He noticed that Samara and Miranda quickly glanced at him before turning away. Thane sat motionless still, not willing to take one look at the turian.

"Anyway," Miranda announced, breaking the silence. "We're going to touchdown at Omega's station very soon. Any type of business you need to get done, just sign out before leaving the Normandy." She slid her heeled shoe down from the wall and turned back towards her office.

Thane stood up and left to the Life Support room, without uttering a single word. Garrus and Samara were left sitting alone at the table, in the dim silence.

Samara's eyes lit up once again. "I feel that Shepard is going through a great deal of pain, it's more than just her own personal obstacles that she must overcome. Whatever it is, we cannot experience it ourselves, she has seen things beyond our greatest fears, who knows how stable she is mentally."

"Ghosts of the past," Garrus agreed. "She has taken a great deal of mental trauma. Like the Prothean beacon back on Eden Prime and that cipher." He paused for a moment to think about what had happened when they went on pursuit on Saren. Sighing, he stood up.

"She still has inner demons of her own to battle with, and it looks like they're winning," added Garrus in contempt.

"They're not just her inner demons," corrected Samara briskly. "My greatest fear is that Harbinger could be manifesting itself in her mind…he will continue to live in her dreams."

Garrus shuddered at the cold truth in Samara's words. He turned his back against the bold Justicar, and made his way back towards the steel doors of the Main Battery. The thought of reliving the collector experience made him feel uneasy. But at the same time, he wanted to mine his way through Shepard's dreams, Shepard's thoughts. Even though she kept hidden the fact that she was having these nightmares, he felt obligated to help her and comfort her. After all, he devoted his life in helping the oppressed, and going against the corrupt. But fighting an entity that wasn't tangible in someone else's mind was something that deep down inside, made him feel fear.

**(*OLD UPDATE Oct. 18, 2010) : **

"How is she," Miranda asked EDI as she typed furiously away in her office. The translucent glow of her private terminal screen glowered back at her.

EDI's pixelated orb shape flashed into life nearby.

"Her life signs are stable now, and the sedative has already worn off. She should be awake and fully functional now," EDI responded. "I have filed Dr. Chakwas' medical document on Shepard, and will forward it to you if necessary."

Miranda smiled at EDI's shape and nodded, mauve lips pursing. "Yes, please do." A bright orange flicker flashed in the corner of her screen, indicating EDI's immediacy in her tasks.

There was a loud click as the static on the Normandy's intercom paved way.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we have just touched down onto the O to the M to the E to the G to the Aaaayyeeahhh! OHH-MAGAAAAAAA sha-sha!" rapped Joker very obnoxiously. In the background you could hear a crewmate trying to wrestle the intercom from his hands.

"What are you trying to do?" cried a distant female voice in the background.

"I've always wanted to do that," responded Joker as the intercom shut off.

"That was...interesting," commented Miranda, raising an eyebrow. She continued to tap away at the orange screen that she spent most of her time buried in.

Commander Shepard winced slightly as she slipped into her pearly white N7 exogeni suit. Her throat tasted stale and her muscles released itself from its soreness due to her prolonged sleep. She briefly preened her hair with her fingers and turned to the display of weapons on a wall near her bed. They had recently been cleaned and reloaded.

The black grip on the bottom of her gloves smoothed its way over onto the narrow base of her favourite weapon- the M-97 Viper. Retracting out the long black barrel, she gently placed her fingers on the trigger, giving it a light squeeze. She adjusted the scope, aiming comfortably at random objects in her room. These were her tools, her instruments of destruction. They were the things that helped her carve her way through her missions, even without her squad's help.

Feeling content, she retracted the sniper rifle and clamped it onto her light-weight carrier pack. Suddenly, EDI's translucent blue orb illuminated itself into life on the glowing panel beside her fish tank.

"Shepard, Thane is waiting for you at the Normandy's airlock system," informed the A.I.

"Right," responded Shepard immediately before checking to see if her weapons were all in place. She summoned the elevator lift and waited until she arrived at the control centre.

Across the narrow room from the galaxy map and the several mining and research stations, Thane waited, arms crossed, head down. His body straightened as soon as he took notice at his commander heading towards him.

"Shepard, I hope you are feeling better," Thane said reassuringly, as Shepard adjusted her comm.. "We still have a lot to do. I suggest gathering intel before we do anything hasty."

"Agreed. We should start at Afterlife and ask Aria T'Loak about this whole Blue Suns business...without being too conspicuous of course."

Before the two could leave the airlock, EDI appeared beside them on a monitor. "Shepard, Garrus would like to speak with you."

The commander stopped in her tracks and faced the ship's AI as if she were a real person. "What is it? We are about to leave...like, now."

"See for yourself," EDI responded before disintegrating.

A turian in chipped blue armour marched down the deck, HUD light flashing and mandibles tensed.

"Garrus," Shepard said in surprise as her comrade stopped before her. She wasn't expecting anyone to come on this mission except for her and Thane, for she made a promise to her friend that recovering Kolyat would be personal business.

Garrus was not smiling. "You are off to find Synn, aren't you?"

Thane glanced at the tense turian, and back at his commander, confused.

"What?"

"The turian warlord, you are going to him, aren't you?"

"We're on personal business," Shepard answered strictly. "Whether Synn has anything to do with it or not."

"Hmm...I'd take that as a yes then. Do you know how dangerous he is? If you are going to start looking for him, so will I. You know I've been hunting that bastard on Omega," his blue eyes glowed with contempt. "I respect that you two are off to settle something on your own, fine, I won't pry. But I could probably help you since I have more insight on him."

Shepard turned to Thane and shrugged slightly. "I think we could use all the help we can get, especially since we don't have that much information."

The drell took a minute to think. "Alright, we will go then."

Shepard nodded and shut the door from the airlock to the Normandy and waited for the main door to the docking port to open. Shepard glanced at the drell from the corner of her eye. She could tell he was not impressed.

A hiss of steam and warm air strung through the equalizer pipes hit them like an invisible wall of heat as the Normandy's main exterior doors slid open.

A dank, empty hallway dripping with leaky pipes greeted them as they step foot on Omega's docking port. The faint echo of a batarian's voice through the static of a broken news terminal chimed alongside the irritating noise of incessant dripping sounds. Shepard bounded down the hallway, squinting slightly as the dented ceiling rafters shone bright artificial light onto her exogeni suit. She looked out the grimy window. Long narrow-like structures resembling the architecture of apartment buildings stood tall like dark giants, hundreds of them. Shepard was not surprised when she heard the sound of a shotgun in the distance, followed by the droning of a machine gun.

The sounds- the leaking, static, steam, gunshots, and faint echoes from soulless creatures were all drowned out by the distant but deep bass of club Afterlife's signature tune. Shepard summoned open the entrance door that paved way to the heart of Omega- Afterlife Nightclub.

The tall broad structure towered over them had a blood red neon light flashing the words _AFTERLIFE _at them. It was accompanied by flashing, loop images of dancing asari strippers in their ethereal blue nakedness. The faces of the asari never stared out of the screen, just downwards with eyes closed or face contorted in some seductive pose, hoping to further entice the patrons waiting eagerly outside.

"Club Afterlife," Garrus's voice cut through the deep bass of the club music. "Almost all mercs or people with shady characters go here. It's literally a cesspool of filth, but it's your best bet of having some sort of start."

"We're going to talk to Aria," Shepard responded as she bypassed the line-up heavily enforced by a weary elcor. The bouncer took notice of the commander and let her in.

The large entrance doors snapped open, revealing a long pathway towards the club's inner doors. Digital flames lit their way as they entered the main floor of the club.

The warm smell of sweat, blood and alcohol permeated the atmosphere before them. Drunken voices, loud laughter mixed in with many voices seemed to be meld into the music.

Embellishing the main floor on a raised platform were the figures of elegant blue dancers. They moved simultaneously, each possessing faces of inebriated ecstasy. They moved like water, drawing the attention of many delighted patrons. Most of these asari dancers were so drugged up on hallex that they could barely hold a proper conversation.

"Come on," Shepard urged as she milled through the crowd and past a bar filled with loud-mouthed patrons. One of Aria's guards, a batarian named Anto eyed them as they walked past.

The renowned queen of Omega sat smoking, casually seated in a broad leather couch that overlooked the main floor of the club. Her outstretched arms recoiled as soon as she saw Shepard's white suit flash at her.

"Shepard," Aria called out, waving her in. Two batarian guards standing before her shook their heads at Garrus and Thane who were slowly retreating down the steps.

"We'll be around," announced Garrus as he and Thane vanished into the sea of patrons. Shepard stood there as the batarian scanned her to verify her identity.

"Shepard," Aria said again, this time with a grin. She let out a chuckle, then a full-hearted laugh. "So the saviour of the galaxy returns, this time to the heart of Omega...what brings you here?"

Shepard sat down cross-legged and shook her head as Aria offered her a drink. She poured herself something small and mixed it.

"I'm looking for someone again," Shepard stated firmly, so her words could be heard through the loud background noise.

"Who isn't nowadays," responded the asari equally. Her facial markings glowered menacingly at her, boasting her authority. She stirred her drink contently. "So who is it this time?"

"Synn," whispered Shepard. Her hiss made Aria's dark eyes light up.

She lipped her drink before letting out another chuckle. "Synn. That turian."

Shepard waited for the asari to gather herself and tried to maintain her composure.

"Look, even though I _run_ Omega, it doesn't mean there aren't any huge players out there. Synn is one of them, you can call him a business regulator. He is what feeds Omega. Weapons- conventional or non-conventional, biotics, drugs, armour, you name it, he has it flowing through Omega like poison in a bloodstream. He's like a ghost, you can say, he barely makes public appearances and when he does, people make it look like a big deal."

"Interesting. So he's Omega's big corrupter," commented Shepard.

Aria laughed. "Omega was already corrupt since day one. Synn just fuels it." She took another sip of her concoction. "But if you're looking for him, you will almost never find him here. However, you can find some of his hoodlums hanging around Afterlife's basement floor in one of the private rooms."

Shepard leaned inward. "Where can I find one of his henchmen?"

"There is a turian named Tyhrrus who is down there tonight with some batarians I believe. Whatever they are doing is none of my concern. You can find out yourself," answered the asari wisely.

"Is he some kind of dealer or member of the Blue Suns?"

"He is one of Synn's right hand men. Then again, he has many right hand men. Tyrrhus usually helps him confirm deals and regulate large shipments. He may even be personally dealing some Hallex himself." She turned to Shepard, narrowing her eyes slightly. "As for Blue Suns, I have no idea, usually they all are."

"Have you also noticed a drell that has been hanging around?"

Aria shrugged. "I _am_ Omega...I don't have time to pay attention to every petty detail."

Shepard notice that Aria's batarian bodyguard was listening in on their conversation. She wondered if Aria knew.

"Alright, thanks for the information anyways. Maybe I'll pay him a visit, maybe not," Shepard said before standing up.

Aria stood up with her, and turned to face the floor of the nightclub. The white collar of her jacket stood up high that it shadowed half of her face. Shepard quickly glanced at the large symbol of Omega emblazoned on the back of her coat.

"I should go," informed Shepard as she turned away from the ledge.

Aria nodded, and smirked. "One more thing." Shepard turned halfway and faced the asari. At that angle, a bright white beam of light from the club's light shone down on half her face and her shoulder, illuminating her skin and making her HUD light invisible.

"Don't try to take Synn down. If you are looking to _change_ in Omega," Aria advised in a mocking tone. "Don't bother. You can never change the foundations of a structure, once it is what it is, it always is."

Shepard stared at the asari, as if she were still absorbing her words.

"If you take him down, someone else more powerful will take his place, and you don't want that to happen." Aria gave the commander one last smile before turning to face the main floor like an empress beaming down upon her worshippers.

Shepard smirked at the batarian guards before heading down the steps back down to the main floor. She noticed Garrus waiting for her near the bar.

"Did you get what you needed?" he asked, leaning against the table.

"Yeah. We have to meet with a turian named Tyrrhus," Shepard said, looking over his shoulder, scanning the crowd. "Where's Thane?"

Garrus shrugged. "He slinks away from time to time. He's probably watching you from somewhere."

Shepard summoned Thane's contact on her HUD light and placed her fingers on her comm. link.

"Thane, can you hear me," shouted Shepard over the loud blaring of the music and the chatter.

There were several clicks on the other end. A firm drell's voice responded. "Yes, I am still here. I am at the basement floor, between the dance floor and the lounge."

"Okay, stay there," ordered Shepard. "We're coming. Aria said to meet with a turian named Tyrrhus. He should be in one of the private rooms with some batarians."

"Copy. See you here."

Shepard and Garrus pushed past the crowd of patrons and descended down a few steps to the second floor. Several tables filled with different species were chatting exuberantly as they walked past. Shepard noticed that they bore the symbol of the Blue Suns, indicating they were mercs.

The pair continued down a long flight of steps towards another large room. A faster more energetic beat greeted them as they entered the foyer of the lower floor. In front of them was a large bar. Shepard immediately remembered when a batarian tried to poison her the last time she visited this dreadful place. In his spot were human and salarian bartenders. Shepard spotted Thane in a darkly lit spot near the dance floor.

Finally regrouping with him, she briefed both him and Garrus about what Aria had told her.

"So she hasn't seen a drell," commented Thane solemnly.

"But she pointed out someone who may have connections. I guess we have to talk to him or squeeze some answers out of him," replied Shepard as she scrutinized the lower club level for the private rooms.

"I prefer the second choice," added Garrus.

They followed Shepard towards two batarians talking to each other outside of a locked room.

**(* NEW UPDATE Oct. 24th, 2010) **

"Excuse me," started Shepard over the loud music. "But do you know if a turian named Tyrrhus is in here?"

The batarians glanced at each other and whispered something in their own language.

"Yes he is. I guess you want some of his stash too," said one as he unlocked the door.

Shepard smiled at how quickly they were to act. The room inside was dimly lit and filled with smoke. Shepard waved her hand in front to clear some of the smog. There were several seats surrounding a small coffee table covered in half empty drinks and cigarette trays. In one of the seats, a turian dressed in black and red armour sat smoking with two asari by his side dancing. His face was marked with white markings, indicating the clan he descended from in his homeworld. Across from his table were a group of batarians drinking. It didn't take Shepard long to notice two weary looking krogan standing on either side of the door wielding shotguns.

"Our sales of hallex are up a significant 40%," noted Tyrrhus as he read from a data pad before picking up a translucent blue bottle from the table filled with pills.

He touched one of the dancer's backside with his long fingers.

"You want some more? Looks like you need it," insisted the turian as he popped the cap off the bottle.

Garrus watched in disgust as the turian placed a pill in the half naked asari's mouth before continuing to dance lifelessly beside them.

"Boss," came the deep throated growl of one of the krogan standing behind them at the door. "There are some...people here to see you."

The distracted turian removed his gaze from the dancing asari and rested them on the three guests that stood, unimpressed before him. Shepard's eyes narrowed when she noticed that Tyrrhus as scanning her up and down.

"Well well well," he said cooly, placing his hands on the armrests. "Are you here for some of...my euphoric services?" He took a bottle of Hallex and shook it at Shepard.

Shepard took a bold step forwards. "No."

The turian slunk back down in his chair, mandibles grinning. "I see, if you're not here for the hallex, then you must be interested in some of the finest firearms." His gaze slowly dropped from her face and down to her legs. "No, that's not possible. You're way too...graceful to be a soldier, and dressed too finely to be a merc. Are you looking for work here on Omega sweet cheeks?" The batarians sitting around him clutched their drinks, chuckling.

"Hell no, I wouldn't dare sell my soul to you filthy vermin," hissed Shepard as she drilled the smug looking turian with sharp eyes.

Tyrrhus laughed at her surprisingly angry retort. "Wow! This one's a hot pistol, better watch out." The batarians around him continued to laugh.

"Cut the crap. We're looking into the Blue Suns," Shepard began in a dark tone. "I know that one of your gangs have recruited a drell. We're looking for him."

Tyrrhus glanced up at Thane who stood on a calm composure, but his eyes looked relentless. Slowly his hands curled into fists.

"What's it to you?" spat Tyrrhus. "Who cares if we've recruited a drell. He's just doing _business_. If you're here to stop him babe, you've gone to the wrong place."

Garrus eyed the batarians. "We know you're dealing a hell load of Hallex and illegal arms. We can cut those ties anytime we want. If I were you, I'd choose my words wisely."

Tyrrhus leaned forwards from his seat and took a sip from a drink on the table. After lipping the glass, he turned to Thane. "I don't suppose that you are related to this drell?"

"Possibly," Thane responded calmly. Shepard noticed he drew a deep breath.

"If you want to play threatening games, fine. We could easily have the drell killed anytime we want," said Tyrrhus as he snapped his finger to one of the krogan guards. "Skarr, call the Blue Sun's squad delivering the shipment tonight. Tell them to kill the drell at the storage facility."

Shepard suddenly stepped forwards. "No...don't." The krogan fumbled with his comm. link.

The dark turian ignored them and focussed his attention of the two dancing asari.

Shepard quickly retrieved her sidearm, pointing the pistol's head straight between the turian's eyes. Like a reflex, the two krogan guards readied their shotguns and closed in on Shepard. Garrus and Thane withdrew their weapons, aiming tensely.

"Think again," Shepard said, glaring straight into Tyrrhus' face.

The two dancing asari screamed and fled, exiting out the back room. The batarians stood up, slowly retrieving their assault rifles.

Tyrrhus stood up, and walked right into Shepard's pistol. "Don't even try, you'll get your entire crew killed." He pushed Shepard's hand away. Shepard stared at him, shocked. Her finger came a millimetre away from squeezing the trigger.

"Don't look surprised babe," Tyrrhus said, holding Shepard's gaze. He then turned around and returned to his seat. "You've scared away my dancers."

"Let's go," Garrus said, slowly reclining his assault rifle. He glared at the smug looking turian. "We'll nail this scumbag later."

Shepard glared at Tyrrhus. She was _that_ close from popping a cap into that bastard. She shot Garrus an angry glance.

"Fine," said Thane as he drew in his coat. "Let's go." The krogan bodyguards gave Shepard menacing glances as they opened the door.

"Omega could really use some human dancers," shouted Tyrrhus from his seat. He snickered. "I have my eye on you." The doors closed behind them as soon as they had stepped out.

Amidst the dancers, the flashing red and white lights and the putrid air, Shepard turned to Garrus, furious. "Why did we leave? We just let our chance slip away!"

"Cool it," Garrus said authoritatively. "It's not as bad as it seems."

"My son is going to be killed, and Shepard is right, you just made us leave our window of opportunity," Thane added angrily, inching up to Garrus until they were nose to nose. His sudden pent up fury had released itself like a pressured valve, it was an unusual sight.

Garrus raised his head at Thane. "Back down Thane, let me explain myself."

"I am an assassin, I don't take orders from anyone," he hissed back, dark eyes attacking Garrus.

For a minute they looked like they were going to murder each other, until Garrus focused his attention on Shepard. "Tyrrhus. He's bluffing. Kolyat isn't going to die."

"What?" Shepard asked, shocked.

"I'm a turian, I know exactly when another turian is bluffing. Besides, it is in a turian's personality to not be able to lie successfully. Trust me, I am one, I know," Garrus explained. "Besides, a drell working for the Blue Suns is a bonus for them, they cannot easily dispose of him. He is far too valuable."

Thane continued to glare at Garrus. "Tyrrhus made the order. That krogan, Skarr, he is going to notify the others of killing him tonight."

Garrus sighed. "The krogan's comm. link wasn't even turned on. I saw, it was broken. And I know that Tyrrhus knows it, he's trying to scare us."

"So what you're saying is that Tyrrhus is trying to instill false fear in us, knowing that we'd walk out?" asked Shepard, suddenly feeling foolish.

"Exactly."

Thane finally relaxed, chest rising and falling calmly. "Now we just somehow need to infiltrate one of their deals, or at least acquire intel on the whereabouts of Kolyat."

"Yes," Garrus responded. "And in Omega, information is easily passed around by everyone. It just takes some work getting it out."

Thane turned away from the bright lights that showered upon the dance floor. "In this case, we better split up. I will try to find some information, on my own."

"Be careful," warned Shepard.

"Don't worry about me. We will keep in contact, via comm. link," the drell responded before dissolving away into the shadows of the club.

Garrus took Shepard's arm and led her towards the wall of the club, away from the bright lights and the emanating noise.

"You need to be careful," Garrus said in a serious tone. He looked down at Shepard's unhappy looking demeanour. "Like I said before, I know turians. Don't double cross him unless you know you can handle it. We are a strong bunch, but we aren't immortal."

"I kno-"

"And Tyrrhus likes you. Watch your back, now that he has you registered in his mind on Omega, he won't want you to leave, especially if he knows you're after a drell. They're going to fortify their security on him now. We need to be extra careful," warned Garrus again. He searched Shepard's eyes for a sign of acknowledgement.

The light in the club reflected off her eyes, but bathed the rest of her body in darkness. She nodded slowly, watery irises taking Garrus' words into consideration.

She swallowed hard, suddenly sounding weak when she spoke. "Okay. We should start searching."

Garrus nodded. "Yeah. We should start at the marketplace. There are plenty of inhabitants there that have raw information."


	8. Chapter Seven: Crashing the Party

**Chapter Seven: Crashing the Party**

**NOTE: **Unfortunately, it has been brought to my attention that not enough people are reviewing my stories. I have quite a few that favourite my story, I really appreciate it, but sadly it's not enough. If at least 5 more people do not comment/fav. Story, I must discontinue it...but we will see I guess. If you care enough about my story, I would highly appreciate it if you comment, fav/watch or give me constructive criticism for my story!

Anyway, here is a **REVIEW OF THE STORY SO FAR**. **WARNING: SPOILER ALERTTTT!**

- Shepard has a nightmare about Harbinger and his haunting message continues to resonate in her mind

- Garrus makes Shepard smile genuinely for the first time by referring back to his silly joke (lol) Yes, it involves popping heat sinks

- The crew touches down on the Citadel. Someone threatens Shepard (turian voice in the crowd)

- They meet Ambassador Udina and Anderson and they debate about Shepard's direction of work: Cerberus or go back to the Alliance?

- Shepard approaches Thane in Life Support and he tells him about his current problem: Kolyat has joined a Merc Band (She agrees not to tell anyone). Shepard agrees to help and they break into Cpt. Bailey's office in the Presidium and acquire some important info. On the way down, Thane accidentally calls Shepard _siha..._thus awkwardness ensues. The info they obtained tells them to go to Omega. The info also informs that Synn, a turian drug/arms Overlord in Omega may be involved with Kolyat.

- On the way back to the Normandy (C-Sec), the two run into Garrus who is holding what seems to be a bottle of liquor. Garrus invites Shepard to meet Kilix, an old friend of his at C-Sec at Dark Star Lounge. Shepard reluctantly joins him. Shepard asks them about Synn the turian and they freak out with Garrus saying he has been hunting him when he used to be sexy Archangel. After drinking a lot and Shepard getting shitfaced (all that damn batarian ale, shots and ryncol), Garrus carries a heavily inebriated Shepard back to the Normandy. Yes, her getting drunk is important because it explains what is about to happen next D:

- Shepard passes out in her cabin and has a really negatively sensational dream. She wakes up screaming and Garrus tries to calm her. EDI calls Mordin and Chakwas in to subdue her. Mordin concludes that she is suffering from PTSD.

- After Shepard's recovery she agrees to continue on to Omega with Thane, but Garrus sticks his big head in and says that if they are looking for Synn, he should come too because he is extremely notorious. Thane feels betrayed that Shepard let Garrus know. Conflict! Dun dun dunnnn

- They decide to meet Aria first and she tells Shepard stuff about Omega blah blah blah and tells her to meet a turian in the lower floor of Omega called Tyrrhus.

- Tyrrhus being a Hallex and arms dealer (one of Synn's right hand men) starts overtly hitting on Shepard while feeding the asari dancers drugs cuz he thinks he's bawwss like that. They demand to see Kolyat but Tyrrhus threatens to kill him. Garrus then advises Shep and Thane to leave because he knows the turian is lying.

- Outside Thane and Garrus get into an "altercation" causing more tension to occur in this now-obvious love triangle. Yuck. But yeah, they decide to look for more clues on Omega with Thane deciding to search on his own.

Well, there's my condensed review for those who forgot what happened. You can revisit my chapters if you want to fill yourself in more on the details.

Now, back to the good stuff...

Shepard and Garrus walked in silence together, through the steam vaporizing through ceiling and floor vents of the grimy marketplace. It dissolved ever so discreetly, like a droplet of milk being overpowered in a glass of water.

Various shady characters walked past them, staring hungrily or expressing no emotion. A pair of vorcha hissed at Shepard, but she just brushed them past.

"I hope we find what we're looking for," said Shepard as she looked up at the big sign that read _Harrot's Emporium_.

Garrus looked around. "As much as I hate looking at these poor souls damned here on Omega, we have no choice but to extract information from them. It's like my Archangel days all over again.

"You can still be Archangel," Shepard said, managing a smile.

"Everything I've done has barely changed this place." He bitterly turned away.

In dirty path that wound into the elcor's shop was another path that led to a door. Surrounding this door were bins of filthy garbage cans. An inebriated batarian sat slumped, with his eyes barely open.

"Let's go this say," Garrus suggested, leading the way. He summoned the door open and walked through it. Shepard followed, but lurched back suddenly with the dazed batarian grabbed her ankle and hauled her back. Shepard nearly stumbled at his sheer strength. She quickly withdrew her pistol and pointed it straight into the batarian's forehead.

"Nooo," he groaned, painfully. "I-I-I want more, I need to get it! You...YOU! You can help me, please!"

Garrus quickly returned back from the doors and eyed the batarian sadly.

Shepard shook her ankle free of his wrist as he began to loosen his grip. He hugged the garbage bin beside him and let out a howl. "I need it!"

"Drug addiction," noted Garrus. "We should ask him what he's on. Maybe he could point us to his source."

"What do you need?" asked Shepard tilting her head to the side.

The batarian looked up. "I need it! Do you have some? Give it!"

"Hold up!" shouted Shepard. "Which one? Hallex? Red Sand?"

"Both," he whispered in a hoarse voice.

"Where can I get this from?"

The batarian stared at her for a long time in his crouched position and leaned back against the wall, banging his head in the process.

Shepard sighed and knelt down beside him. She softened her voice. "Where can I get it?"

"Sk-sk-sk-skarr," he stuttered. "Skarr is my dealer."

"Skarr,"commented Garrus. "That sounds familiar."

"Yeah, it's the krogan dealer."

"Where can I find him, and where can I meet him?" asked Shepard.

The batarian paused to think for a second. "Abandoned warehouse in Omega's Graveyard District. He usually comes around 7 near night. But everytime is night for me, I need my hallex! I'll so anything, I'll even kill for you!"

"I know where it is," Garrus said. "It's an area of abandoned buildings that serve as a hub for drug dealers and clients. It's also a really great vantage point for me."

Shepard placed her hand on the batarian's shoulder. He flinched suddenly. "I don't think that's a good idea." She pulled out a food credit pad from her side belt and gave it to the batarian, knowing it couldn't be spent on drugs. "Here, take this. Get yourself something good to eat."

The batarian hesitantly took the card with trembling fingers. 'Th-th-thank you. I haven't eaten in days."

They watched as he hobbled up and limped towards the markets.

"That was quite noble of you," commented Garrus as he continued on the corridor past the door.

Shepard shrugged in the dim light of the red shadows. "He looked like shit."

"Like most of the vagrants and addicts in this hellhole."

The pressed further into another ward of smaller markets. Salvaged ship parts. Stolen weapons. Ransacked goods. The Omega Markets was the regulator of all misplaced items. At the end of the day, something would always end up in the wrong hands.

Shepard coughed amidst the steam emanating from an open vent. "What time is it?"

"We have approximately 30 minutes before 7. I say we get there before the dealers do."

Shepard nodded. "I'll notify Thane then." Her fingers reached for her comm. link.

Thane's glittering eyes flashed at them through the cranny of the rundown building. Surrounding the area were walls of broken rubble and dismembered pipes. Flyers advertising food, illegal trade, hitman and asari contacts scattered the floor in a mosaic of broad colours. Shepard hobbled over a bullet-ridden wall that had toppled over. A hover vehicle lay unused and smashed, vandalized by graffiti.

"They'll be here any minute," informed Shepard as she joined Thane in the rundown complex. She looked up the ceiling. Broken floors creaked ominously, as if they would give in any moment. On the ground were empty bottles of hallex and smashed bottles of drinks.

Garrus withdrew his sniper rifle. "I know this area the best. I'm gonna take cover in those buildings over there." He pointed to a pair of smaller, similar, rundown structures nearby.

"No," objected Thane. "I am the expert of the shadows, I know where to move and how to move, even if the area is unfamiliar for me."

"One of you is going to stay with me," ordered Shepard, withdrawing her submachine gun. It sat heavily in her arms as she loaded it with cryo rounds. She turned to Thane and nodded. Garrus had already disappeared into the neighbouring buildings.

"We're going to find the information that will direct us to Kolyat today," she said reassuringly.

"I just hope this doesn't lead to another dead end. I am tired of chasing false leads. I fear that every inch we take closer towards Kolyat will also endanger him," he replied tensely.

"That's why I will make sure that doesn't happen. Skarr is working for Tyrrhus, he is going to be making the deal tonight. And we both know that Skarr has direct contact with Kolyat's team. We will get the information from him now."

"Get what now?" rang a gruff krogan voice. Shepard looked out from the cranny and noticed a small pack of Blue Suns dealers and bodyguards had entered the rubble of the district. Shepard knew immediately the krogan talking was the same one she encountered in Tyrrhus' room at Afterlife.

Shepard stood up, making herself and her SMG visible. "We know that you're not going to kill Kolyat. Your amateur trick doesn't fool us. We're going to find out where he is _now." _

Skarr let out a deep laugh before glaring at her with his red eyes. "And we're going to make sure that doesn't happen."

"I wasn't asking for your permission," Shepard retorted coldly before briskly squeezing the trigger on her SMG. In lightning flashes, her bright white cryo rounds pierced through Skarr's armour and those around him as well. Everyone dove into cover and began to fire back, causing Shepard to crouch down from the cranny. She could see several straight shots fire from the level above her, indicating that Thane had moved to a new position.

"You're gonna die, BITCH!" shouted Skarr's gruff voice amongst the firing. She felt fragments of the cranny being blown apart from the terrifying explosiveness of his shotgun.

Bravely, she whirled around and fired extensively at his bodyguards. Their shields crackled and simmered before blood started splattering the rubble beneath their feet.

Shepard withdrew her pistol and formed a glowing ball of blue electrical fire in her palm. She forced it forward, causing a turbulent blast that toppled several guards standing behind the broken hover vehicle. The sound of Garrus' sniper rifle finished them off.

A few concussive shocks later, Shepard emerged from her hiding place and came back to face to Skarr. His krogan rage made his blood boil.

"You're not getting near that drell," he roared, charging. His balled fists and armoured head pointed directly at her. His fallen shields crackled.

Shepard raised her pistol and flashed him a smile. After a few seconds of a bulletstorm, the mangled krogan lay defeated in his own blood before the commander's feet.

"Finished with style," complimented Garrus as he hopped out of the nearby building. He dangled his sniper rifle casually over his shoulder.

Thane emerged from the fallen ceiling of the second floor, landing in a crouched position with his cloak creating a dark shroud around his emerald body.

"Shepard," he said softly. "The data pad."

Shepard nodded in response and picked up the blood soaked data pad that Skarr's body was laying ontop of. Wiping the blood off she read skimmed the information.

"Kolyat," she whispered. "I think we have located his gang."


	9. Chapter Eight: Taken

***NOTE: **I've decided that before every chapter, as a recap, I will quickly review the previous chapter before you continue on again. That way, you can refresh your memory. Also, this chapter is quite interesting because there's a sudden change in several people.

In addition, thank you to those that have reviewed/favourite/msged me. Because of you guys, I am inspired to write more, as long as you guys are reading! I hope the story is as enjoyable to read as it is to write.

**REVIEW OF CHAPTER SEVEN:**

- After getting into a slight argument, Thane decides to look for more clues to the whereabouts of his song on his OWN, while Shepard and Garrus head towards Omega's markets to see what's going on.

- On the way Shepard get's a foot grabbed by a batarian hobo who is literally high off his rocker and wanted them to give him hallex. Shepard gives him food after he tells her about a hallex deal going on tonight that might lead them to Kolyat. They are informed that Skarr (Tyrrhus' krogan bodyguard) is making this deal. The deal is to happen in a spooky place called _Omega's Graveyard district_ which consists of a series of buildings.

_** Character recap:**_

**Skarr:** Krogan bodyguard for Tyrrhus

**Tyrrhus:** High ranking dirty turian who deals hallex and arms for his big boss, Synn. He also has a thing for Shepard and asari strippers btw. Dirty dirty fellow. Oh and he wears black armour and has white markings in his face.

**Synn: **Big boss that people rarely get too see. He is highly respected because he is the supplier of all drugs, weapons, illegal materials that keep Omega running as a powerhouse of dirty stuff. Even Aria has a certain degree of respect for him, because he basically runs Omega. One of his right hand men includes Tyrrhus, the dirty turian.

- Ok, back to review. Thane gets notified that there is a deal going down at 7pm and he should meet them there. Garrus decides to hide in an abandoned building (since he knows this place best) as his vantage point. Yay, he gets to relive his sexy Archangel days again.

- Thane and Shepard stay in the bottom floor of another building.

- Skarr and his buddies show up and start a firefight after Shepard says something witty

- They all work together and eliminate Skarr and his gang. Oh and Skarr's fat body is lying ontop of a datapad that will FINALLY point out there whereabouts of Kolyat's location.

**Chapter Eight: Taken**

Shepard stared blankly at the fast working hands of her brilliant salarian doctor who was further researching their recent findings of the Reaper technology.

Her grey eyes reflected the panels of orange and green light emitting from the doctor's lab terminal.

"Shepard. Something, troubles you," the salarian replied almost indifferently. His hands did not stop moving .

"Just tryna deal with the nightmares," Shepard sighed. She watched as an image of the reaper ship showed up on the screen.

"Ahh," he said, pausing for a split second before resuming to his work. "Nightmares, or visions?"

Shepard turned to him. "I hope it's not the latter one."

"I also sense you are bothered by more than that. Something else. More sensitive. Innate human emotion."

The commander tried her best to mask her surprise**. **"What are you talking about?"

"Sense tension between competing males. Ship writhing with levels of testosterone. Feel rather...uncomfortable."

_Clever little Mordin. _Even with his head buried miles deep in his research, he could still make out the personal implications occurring between the crew.

"Even if it is, Mordin, it's not one of my main concerns. Not right now," Shepard answered back a bit too harshly. She turned away.

"Body language says otherwise. It's okay to admit. Doctor-patient, commander-crew member...especially friend-friend confidentiality important. Will never think of betraying you, commander." The salarian managed to sneak a quick glance at her. "But rivalry between Garrus and Thane might get in the way of your mission. May complicate circumstances."

"I care about them both. They are still my friends as well as valued members of my squad...but me and Garrus..we ha- we have-" her voice cut short. She couldn't find a way to project the words right. She felt her mind contradicting with her rational thinking.

Mordin sighed and finally stopped working so vigorously. He hands fell to his sides. He pushed the orange panel on his lab terminal to standby.

"Thane," Shepard began slowly. "Might be taking things the wrong wa-"

"Jealousy. Drell are amongst one of the most monogamous species. That being said-"

"I just _don't_ want to complicate anything, especially when I'm already combating all these inner demons in me." Her heart took a turn for the worse. "I think the most logical thing to do is just end things with Garrus."

Mordin glanced at her, suddenly shocked at her abrupt suggestion of self-sacrifice. "No. No need to do so. Need to come up with compromise. Understand humans are emotional, and you, battling self-conflict. Sometimes you don't get what you want. But who knows what the galaxy has in store for us. Suggest making...best out of good moments you can still salvage...before you can't anymore."

Shepard stared deeply into the doctor's eyes. She felt the walls she built up around her emotions slowly come down. Biting her lip, she forced herself to contain her feelings. Mordin looked down, sympathetically.

"Sorry," he whispered. "Think about my advice. For now, must get back to work."

Shepard began to head out the door to the combat control centre. "Thank you Mordin, I'm sorry I took up your time."

"No problem. Anytime." With the last utterance, the door to the tech lab sealed shut.

Shepard stood craning her neck at the Combat control centre when she noticed Yeoman Kelly Chambers waving her over.

"What seems to be the matter?" she asked her bright eyed yeoman. She and Kelly had a relatively close relationship and used to open up to each occasionally. Lately, she had kept herself distant and clammed up.

"Garrus wants to see you," Kelly said with a worried look etched on her face.

Shepard swallowed hard, trying to wipe away her previous emotions. "If he wanted to talk to me, he would go to my cabin." She proceeded to summon her private terminal.

"He did," Kelly said hesitantly. "He had been wanting to see you since you guys returned to the Normandy last night."

"Guess he keeps missing me. Tough luck."

Kelly was taken back by Shepard's sudden abrasiveness. "Uhm, Shepard, are you alright? Uh, what I mean is, are you and Garrus okay?"

"We're fine," Shepard responded, continuing to punch away at her screen as Mordin did to her when they spoke. "I'm just trying to stay focused with our missions. Don't want feelings getting in the way, y'know."

"Ahh I see," her Yeoman said sympathetically. "You don't want Garrus to interfere with your emotions. Well as easy as it sounds, it's not at all."

"Don't worry Kelly," Shepard assured, "I'll be fine. Things will work out in the end, eventually."

Kelly beamed. "Great! Well if you need anything comman- I mean, Shepard, let me know. I'm always here for you to talk to. I can't imagine what you've been going through lately...but I'm always here to keep your feelings in check."

Shepard smiled and placed her hand on Kelly's shoulder. "Thanks Kelly, I'm glad to hear that." She turned to go to the elevator, but stopped. "And one more thing. Can you tell Thane to meet me in the Comm. Room? We have to debrief on the mission."

"Right away, Shepard."

Shepard leaned against the metallic surface of the table in the comm. room. The room itself felt so empty and somewhat intimidating. She remembered descending down the platform to speak with the Illusive man via hologram. The hiss of the doors opening indicated someone was coming through.

"Shepard," he called out glancing around. "Where's Garrus?"

Shepard clutched onto the datapad and skimmed through it. "We're going to find Kolyat."

"Great, have you figured out exactly how we will tackle this?"

Shepard nodded. "He's making a deal with a few small members of the Blue Suns tonight at approximately 9."

"Where is the site of transaction?"

"The Gozu District." Shepard remembered passing the Gozu district when she first took on Mordin's dossier. The quarantine zone led her through several ransacked apartments in the Gozu District.

"It doesn't seem like there are going to be many people involved," commented Shepard as she scrolled down. "He's delivering 10 kg worth of Hallex as well as two M-920 Cains...I wonder where they find these things."

Thane nodded. "Eliminating Kolyat's accomplices will be no problem. It's talking to Kolyat that I'm worried about."

Shepard closed the datapad. "You're his father. You talked to him before at the Citadel, remember? He'll listen to you better than he will to me."

"I should hope so," said Thane quietly.

"Come on, let's go to Omega, we should get there early to assess the area. I'll notify Kelly and Miranda, just in case, where we're headed."

"Right," responded Thane as he checked his weapons once before following the commander out the Comm. room.

"Reports have been confirmed that there was a small-scale gunfight at Omega's Graveyard District yesterday evening," blared the batarian reporter on the broken galactic news radio. "The bodies found indicated that the victims were members of the Blue Suns. A krogan bodyguard by the name of Skarr was amongst one of the bodies found."

"I wonder what the Blue Suns are going to do about it," said Shepard as they entered the bass-echoing area in front of Afterlife. Impatient patrons were seen waiting in front of the elcor bouncer.

"Casualties come and go every day," responded Thane calmly. "It has become naturalized to be a regulator, brought upon death's invisible hand."

"And by the invisible hand you mean mercs killing mercs," replied Shepard as they walked through the corridors leading toward the marketplace.

"Not just that, but by instruments of death, death's accomplices. Weapons, drugs, alcohol- all the impurities that writhe within this hell. It is the state of mind of Omega," Thane said philosophically.

The two continued on in conversation until they stood in front of Harrot's Emporium. It was much busier today than it was yesterday. It seemed as if everyone were scrambling to barter with the shopkeepers.

"We might attract too much attention if we cause a scene at the Gozu district," whispered Shepard. She watched as a suspicious-looking batarian came scrambling from the crowd with a section of a salvaged ship engine.

"It won't be a problem. I don't think anyone wants to mess with the Blue Suns," Thane responded, suddenly lifting his head up. His eyes flickered, scanning the crowd. His attentiveness suddenly grew. It seemed as if suddenly every sense in his body was stimulated.

"What's the matter?" asked Shepard, worried by his sudden transition in state.

Thane suddenly pushed through the crowd. He glanced around frantically. "I sense someone familiar..." He continued on in a quick walk. Shepard struggled to follow in the crowd. His quick walk turned into a run. Shepard was falling behind.

"Thane!" she shouted. She knew better than to cause a commotion. Instead, she turned on her comm. link just as Thane had vanished from her sight.

"Thane," she said, breathing heavily. "Who is it?"

At first the static turned into loud voices from within the crowd until Thane's voice intercepted. "It's Kolyat. I sense him here. I saw glimpses of him, so vividly. Tall, brown jacket. Dark ashen green skin. Dark eyes making eye contact with various shopkeepers."

"He's here?" Shepard asked again, confused.

"Yes. Listen Shepard," said the drell very carefully. "I'll keep in touch. If you can't find me, we'll meet at the Gozu district at 9. Don't worry, I'll be there." The connection clicked off leaving Shepard with just static.

"Damn it," muttered Shepard as she looked around the crowd. She was alone in a dangerous place. A batarian walking by shoved her roughly on the shoulder.

"Watch it, bitch," he hissed, glaring at her with his eyes.

Shepard began to walk cautiously toward the fringes of the marketplace, where the homeless vagrants resided. She decided to head towards the Gozu district. A pair of vorcha eyed her suspiciously as she made her way into the alleyway. Dark grey walls tinted with grease and dirt seemed to close in on her. She slowly withdrew her pistol.

A dark flash went by in the corner of her eye. Amidst the steam from the broken vents and the watchful eyes of the vorcha, she whirled around, eyes wide with fright. Her pistol aimed at the air. Her instincts told her that someone was tracking her. She turned around again, this time, firing several bursts into some empty bins in front of her.

She heard a bin behind her topple as the two vorcha hissed at her and scurried away.

Shepard's grip on her pistol grew tighter as she held the gun with both hands, pulling it towards her chest.

A rush of cold air blew beside her ear. Her body froze.

"Boo," said a deep voice from behind her. Before she could whirl around, an arm in a brown jacket hooked over her neck, with the assailant's other arm restraining her other arm behind her back. She dropped her pistol. Thrusting all her might, she tried to summon her biotic powers. A blue glow emanated from her body but was quickly subdued when she froze into a white flash of stasis. Her eyes rolled around frantically, just as the assailant released his grip.

The figure wearing the brown jacket revealed himself, facing her. It was Kolyat. He snickered. Several Blue Suns showed up beside him.

Shepard felt so exposed, so helpless, so...humiliated. The Blue Suns laughed at her.

"Confiscate her weapons," ordered Kolyat in a weaselish voice.

Shepard's muscles ached as she struggled to fight the stasis inflicted upon her. The turians surrounding her quickly stripped her of her weapons. Kolyat roughly ripped off her comm. link and shoved it into his trenchcoat pockets.

"Let's move out," he ordered, waving his gloved hand towards the direction behind her.

As the stasis began to wear off, she summoned her biotic powers again. The turian standing behind did not hesitate to smack the back of her head with the butt of his assault rifle.

Falling to her knees, her vision became disoriented and she slumped onto the ground. The last thing she saw were the black boots of the drell turning towards the direction of the markets.

Shepard awoke with a tremendous headache and blurry vision. She was in a dim room, and she was sitting upright. Her arms were handcuffed behind her, against a metal chair. In the dark red light, she could barely make out the figures standing before her. Several turians and krogan sat at a nearby table, playing a loud drinking game.

There was a loud throbbing she could hear pulsing from the blood in her temples. It wasn't her own heartbeat. It was a loud, deep-based beat. Afterlife's signature song.

Shepard rolled her head back, making a loud crack. She groaned. It really hurt!

"Turian bastard," Shepard muttered as her mind slowly began to retrieve her memory back. As soon as the words tumbled out of her mouth, the drunken turians playing at the table became alerted by her consciousness and headed towards her.

"She's awake," said one of the turians. They were all wearing the markings of the Blue Suns. Some of the turians had their face painted in white markings that indicated which clan they were from in their homeworlds.

One of the turians reached out and touched her face.

Groggy, but shocked at his sudden movement, she jolted awake and bit down on his hand as hard as she could. The turian screamed very loudly as Shepard's teeth sunk down onto the rough flesh of his knuckles. His dark blue blood trickled from his hand onto the floor. His buddies around him laughed drunkenly. In anger, he managed to wrestle his hand back.

"You fucking bitch!" he screeched. The angry turian rammed his rifle into Shepard's cheek before proceeding to beat her with it.

Shepard squeezed her eyes shut and felt every blow come down harder than the last.

Suddenly, a shot was fired at the wall of the room to their right. The turian retrieved his assault rifle and everyone fell silent.

Tyrrhus stood at the doorway, pistol in hand. On either sides of him were two new krogan guards.

"Back off," he hissed, holding the pistol up.

"Boss I-"

He fired a shot at the turian's shoulder. He backed away.

Tyrrhus looked pitifully at Shepard, who lay with her head to the side, hair mangled all over her face. She winced as Tyrrhus parted her hair with his fingers.

Shepard's eyes were covered in tears, as a reflex to the beating she took. A large purple bruise swelled at the top of her cheekbone, with a bleeding cut in the centre of it.

"You wrecked her face you son of a bitch," Tyrrhus shouted.

The drunken turian, clutching his bleeding hand backed away.

"Come on, let's go," said his comrade. The rest of the turians left them in the room, except for the two krogan bodyguards.

Tyrrhus withdrew a handkerchief from his pocket and began to dab the blood from Shepard's face onto it. She was on the verge from passing out. She could feel her head swelling from where the turian beat her repeatedly.

Tyrrhus kindly unlocked her handcuffs and held her head back with his large hand. With the other, he reached toward a nearby table and poured one tablet of Hallex onto his palm. Shepard's gaze rolled from his face to his hand. He was going to make her ingest it.

"Take this," he ordered. Shepard stared at him, dumbfounded.

He pried open her jaw but she withdrew from the swelling that became evident in her face. Slowly, he slipped the pill onto her tongue and gentle withdrew his fingers. His index finger rested on Shepard's lips. He then held her jaw closed.

The effects were fast and dreary. Her hearing became muffled and the painful feeling in her body turned to a pleasurable sensation. She couldn't even tell if she was smiling or crying or screaming at all. Her eyelids began to droop and everything seemed to move in slow motion. The beat of Afterlife became a permanent rhythm that synced up with her heartbeat.

"Let's put you somewhere to rest," Tyrrhus said, lifting up her limp body. He walked out of the room with Shepard beginning to doze off into his arms. The blood on her cheek wiped onto the armour on his forearm.

She looked up at the turian. He was her enemy, he was working for Synn. He degraded the asari and pressured her into joining Afterlife as a dancer. He was scum...but he was now helping her. Shepard couldn't tell if he was going to keep her alive to extort her or torture her for information. But for now, he seemed to be helping her. And with her body slipping into ecstasy and her vision blurring once more, looking up at him, he could _almost_ pass as Garrus.


End file.
